Free Radical Damage and its Control


Book Description

This book provides a comprehensive treatise on the chemical and biochemical consequences of damaging free radical reactions, the implications for the pathogenesis of disease and how this might be controlled endogenously and by radical scavenging drugs. Oxidative stress may be influenced by exogenous agents of oxidative stress, radiation, trauma, drug activation, oxygen excess, or by exogenous oxidative stress which is associated with many pathological states including chronic inflammatory disorders, cardiovascular disease, injury to the central nervous system, and connective tissue damage. This and many other such aspects are presented clearly and in depth.The development of antioxidant drugs depends on the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the generation of excessive free radicals in vivo, the factors controlling their release and the site of their action. This excellent volume presents an up-to-date account of the current state of knowledge in these areas.




Antioxidants in Sport Nutrition


Book Description

The use of antioxidants in sports is controversial due to existing evidence that they both support and hinder athletic performance. Antioxidants in Sport Nutrition covers antioxidant use in the athlete ́s basic nutrition and discusses the controversies surrounding the usefulness of antioxidant supplementation. The book also stresses how antioxidants may affect immunity, health, and exercise performance. The book contains scientifically based chapters explaining the basic mechanisms of exercise-induced oxidative damage. Also covered are methodological approaches to assess the effectiveness of antioxidant treatment. Biomarkers are discussed as a method to estimate the bioefficacy of dietary/supplemental antioxidants in sports. This book is useful for sport nutrition scientists, physicians, exercise physiologists, product developers, sport practitioners, coaches, top athletes, and recreational athletes. In it, they will find objective information and practical guidance.




Phytochemicals


Book Description

Phytochemicals provides original research work and reviews on the sources of phytochemicals, and their roles in disease prevention, supplementation, and accumulation in fruits and vegetables. The roles of anthocyanin, flavonoids, carotenoids, and taxol are presented in separate chapters. Antioxidative and free radicle scavenging activity of phytochemicals is also discussed. The medicinal properties of Opuntia, soybean, sea buckthorn, and gooseberry are presented in a number of chapters. Supplementation of plant extract with phytochemical properties in broiler meals is discussed in one chapter. The final two chapters include the impact of agricultural practices and novel processing technologies on the accumulation of phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables. This book mainly focuses on medicinal plants and the disease-preventing properties of phytochemicals, which will be a useful resource to the reader.




Plant Aging


Book Description

For many, the terms aging, maturation and senescence are synonymous and used interchangeably, but they should not be. Whereas senescence represents an endogenously controlled degenerative programme leading to plant or organ death, genetiC aging encompasses a wide array of passive degenerative genetiC processes driven primarily by exogenous factors (Leopold, 1975). Aging is therefore considered a consequence of genetiC lesions that accumulate over time, but by themselves do not necessarily cause death. These lesions are probably made more severe by the increase in size and complexity in trees and their attendant physiology. Thus while the withering of flower petals following pollination can be considered senescence, the loss of viability of stored seeds more clearly represents aging (Norden, 1988). The very recent book "Senescence and Aging in Plants" does not discuss trees, the most dominant group of plants on the earth. Yet both angiospermic and gymnospermic trees also undergo the above phenomena but less is known about them. Do woody plants senesce or do they just age? What is phase change? Is this synonymous with maturation? While it is now becoming recognized that there is no programmed senescence in trees, senescence of their parts, even in gymnosperms (e. g. , needles of temperate conifers las t an average of 3. 5 years), is common; but aging is a readily acknowledged phenomenon. In theory, at least, in the absence of any programmed senescence trees should -live forever, but in practice they do not.




Brain Aging


Book Description

Recognition that aging is not the accumulation of disease, but rather comprises fundamental biological processes that are amenable to experimental study, is the basis for the recent growth of experimental biogerontology. As increasingly sophisticated studies provide greater understanding of what occurs in the aging brain and how these changes occur




Polyphenols: Mechanisms of Action in Human Health and Disease


Book Description

Polyphenols: Mechanisms of Action in Human Health and Disease, Second Edition describes the mechanisms of polyphenol antioxidant activities and their use in disease prevention. Chapters highlight the anti-inflammatory activity of polyphenols on key dendritic cells, how they modulate and suppress inflammation, and how they are inactivated or activated by metabolism in the gut and circulating blood. Polyphenols have proven effective for key health benefits, including bone health, organ health, cardiac and vascular conditions, absorption and metabolism, and cancer and diseases of the immune system. They are a unique group of phytochemicals that are present in all fruits, vegetables and other plant products. This very diverse and multi-functional group of active plant compounds contain powerful antioxidant properties and exhibit remarkable chemical, biological and physiological properties, including cancer prevention and cardio-protective activities. - Expands coverage on green tea, cocoa, wine, cumin and herbs - Outlines their chemical properties, bioavailability and metabolomics - Provides a self-teaching guide to learn the mechanisms of action and health benefits of polyphenols




Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine


Book Description

Free Radicals in Biology and Medicine has become a classic text in the field of free radical and antioxidant research. Now in its fifth edition, the book has been comprehensively rewritten and updated whilst maintaining the clarity of its predecessors. Two new chapters discuss 'in vivo' and 'dietary' antioxidants, the first emphasising the role of peroxiredoxins and integrated defence mechanisms which allow useful roles for ROS, and the second containing new information on the role of fruits, vegetables, and vitamins in health and disease. This new edition also contains expanded coverage of the mechanisms of oxidative damage to lipids, DNA, and proteins (and the repair of such damage), and the roles played by reactive species in signal transduction, cell survival, death, human reproduction, defence mechanisms of animals and plants against pathogens, and other important biological events. The methodologies available to measure reactive species and oxidative damage (and their potential pitfalls) have been fully updated, as have the topics of phagocyte ROS production, NADPH oxidase enzymes, and toxicology. There is a detailed and critical evaluation of the role of free radicals and other reactive species in human diseases, especially cancer, cardiovascular, chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. New aspects of ageing are discussed in the context of the free radical theory of ageing. This book is recommended as a comprehensive introduction to the field for students, educators, clinicians, and researchers. It will also be an invaluable companion to all those interested in the role of free radicals in the life and biomedical sciences.




Polyphenols in Human Health and Disease


Book Description

Polyphenols in Human Health and Disease documents antioxidant actions of polyphenols in protection of cells and cell organelles, critical for understanding their health-promoting actions to help the dietary supplement industry. The book begins by describing the fundamentals of absorption, metabolism and bioavailability of polyphenols, as well as the effect of microbes on polyphenol structure and function and toxicity. It then examines the role of polyphenols in the treatment of chronic disease, including vascular and cardiac health, obesity and diabetes therapy, cancer treatment and prevention, and more. - Explores neuronal protection by polyphenol metabolites and their application to medical care - Defines modulation of enzyme actions to help researchers see and study polyphenols' mechanisms of action, leading to clinical applications - Includes insights on polyphenols in brain and neurological functions to apply them to the wide range of aging diseases




Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Protection


Book Description

Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Protection: The Science of Free Radical Biology and Disease Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Protection begins with a historical perspective of pioneers in oxidative stress with an introductory section that explains the basic principles related to oxidative stress in biochemistry and molecular biology, demonstrating both pathways and biomarkers. This section also covers diagnostic imaging and differential diagnostics. The following section covers psychological, physiologic, pharmacologic and pathologic correlates. This section addresses inheritance, gender, nutrition, obesity, family history, behavior modification, natural herbal-botanical products, and supplementation in the treatment of disease. Clinical trials are also summarized for major medical disorders and efficacy of treatment, with particular focus on inflammation, immune response, recycling, disease progression, outcomes and interventions. Each of the chapters describes what biomarker(s) and physiological functions may be relevant to a concept of specific disease and potential alternative therapy. The chapters cover medical terminology, developmental change, effects of aging, senescence, lifespan, and wound healing, and also illustrates cross-over exposure to other fields. The final chapter covers how and when to interpret appropriate data used in entry level biostatistics and epidemiology. Authored and edited by leaders in the field, Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Protection will be an invaluable resource for students and researchers studying cell biology, molecular biology, and biochemistry, as well professionals in various health science fields.