Plants remain an important source of new drugs, new drug leads for making more effective drugs in the pharmaceutical industry. Plant based discovery resulted mainly in the development of anticancer and anti-infective agents providing new leads to the drug industry.
The present article focuses on a unifying mode of action for the nutrients, namely, resveratrol, epigallocatechin, polyene-ß-carotene, polyene lycopene, piperine, curcumin, genistein, luteolin, sulforaphane and pomegranate extract. The mechanism is based on electron transfer, reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress, which comprises an extension of earlier reports involving agents. Most of the compounds are precursors of electron transfer quinones, whereas others fit into the polyene category. The nutrients are better known as antioxidants. The dichotomy is addressed.
Author(s) Details
Peter Kovacic
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-1030, USA
Ratnasamy Somanathan
Centro de Graduados e Investigación del Instituto Tecnológico de Tijuana, Mesa de Otay, Tijuana, B.C. Mexico.
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