Natural and Synthetic Antioxidants Essay

An example of those are carnosic acid, rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid, possessing strong antioxidant, radical-scavenging, and antibacterial activities. The majority of the phenolic acids in Sage species are derivatives of caffeic acid which is the building block of a variety of plant metabolites. Caffeic acid plays a central role in the biochemistry of the Lamiaceae plants, and occurs mainly in a dimer form as rosmarinic acid. Carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid, which are present at high concentrations in the extract of Sage plants, have shown strong antioxidant properties. Ursolic acid, also a component of sage, has strong anti-inflammatory properties, and in sage preparations, it is considered as a quality control measurement for the anti-inflammatory effects of different

The roles of antioxidants( Endogenous compounds) are to neutralize the excess of free radicals, to protect the cells against their toxic effects and to contribute in disease

vulgare shown to have significant antibacterial activity in vitro as compared to some standard antibiotics[53]. Butanol and aqueous fractions of F. vulgare fruit showed intermediate free radical scavenging activity in vitro[54]. A group of rat pretreated with aqueous extract of F. vul-gare shown to have suppressed ethanol-induced gastric lesions. Also, this extract significantly reduced lipid peroxidation and increased antioxidant activity[70]. Administration of methanolic extract of F. vulgare fruit orally to mice has been shown to suppress Type 4 allergic reactions as well as acute and subacute inflammatory responses and also shown moderate centeral analgesic effect. In addition, it significantly enhance plasma antioxidant status while suppressing lipid peroxidation chain

Anthocyanins in foods also provide advantages in anti-cancer, liver protection, reduction of coronary heart disease and improved visual acuity applications (Timberlake and Henry, 1988; Francis, 1989; Mazza and Miniati, 1993; Bridle and Timberlake, 1997). This class of phytochemicals is used in the food and pharmacological industries because of their anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties (Espin et al. 2000, Tsai et al. 2002). Anthocyanins are characterized as having an electron deficiency due to their particular chemical structure, which makes them very reactive toward free radicals present in the body, consequently enabling them to be powerful natural antioxidants (Galvano, 2005).

Antioxidants are molecules that find and destroy the free radicals floating in the bloodstream man. Free radicals are the main culprit for man is aging rapidly, destroying brain cells.

Anti-oxidants are substances capable to mop up free radicals and prevent them from causing cell damage. Free radicals are responsible for causing a wide number of health problems which include cancer, aging, heart diseases, gastric problems etc. A free radical is an atom or molecule with a single unpaired electron. Examples: Nitric oxide (.NO), superoxide (O2.-) hydroxyl radical (.OH), lipid peroxy radical (LOO.). Although, molecular oxygen (O2) has two unpaired electrons in two different orbitals, it is not a free radical (23). After donating an electron, an antioxidant becomes a free radical by definition. In this state, antioxidants are not harmful because they have the ability to accommodate the change in electrons without becoming reactive

Differences in the chemical composition of antioxidants in foods versus those in supplements may influence the overall effect.

Antioxidants are agents which scavenge the free radicals and prevent the damage caused by them. They can greatly reduce the damage due to oxidants by neutralizing the free radicals before they can attack the cells and prevent damage to lipids, proteins, enzymes, carbohydrates and DNA (Fang et al., 2002).

Qualitative phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of phenolic compounds, alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, saponins and cardiac glycosides as major components in the acetone methanolic, ethanol, chloroform extract of A. nilotica (Table 1). The anti-bacterial activity of plants that are widely used against human pathogen induced toxicity is majorly due to the presence of various secondary metabolites that bind directly to bacterial cell wall components and destroy their effect. Flavonoids and alkaloids isolated from A. nilotica plant species demonstrated anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities anticancer activities of human pathogen. Presence of these active secondary

The role of oxidative stress is the imbalance of detoxified free radicals. When the body fails to detoxify free radicals, the free radicals take an electron from another molecule. As a result, the molecule is no longer stable. An unstable molecule can lead to damage within the cell and cause the cell to function improperly. Therefore, preventing oxidative stress is very important for the cell to maintain its proper function. If the cell does not function properly, an increase in antioxidants can help to repair the cell. Antioxidants are produced by the cell but increasing antioxidants for example in ones diet can reduce the amount of free radicals in the body that cause harm and as a result lead to oxidative stress in the body.

Katarzyna, Sherine, Garry, Derek, Stephen James, and Ian (2015), authors of the article “Antioxidants in cardiovascular therapy: Panacea or false hope?”, re-examined the roles played by antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E, folic acid and other B vitamins, polyphenols, mineral such as selenium, drugs such as N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) and allopurinol in regards to their therapeutic properties to combat various illnesses such as heart diseases, ischemic strokes, and peripheral arterial disease. Katarzyna et al. (2015) also explored the setbacks related to the antioxidants’ properties in the cardiovascular disease prevention and management as well as the myths and merits linked to this research topic. The researchers compared the data gathered

Rosmarinus officinalis (Family: Lamiaceae) has been used as a food preservative and flavoring agent. This plant also contains antioxidant activity and can be used as a possible therapeutic alternative for various diseases. The purpose of this study was to explore the antifibrotic effect of Rosmarinus officinalis in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced liver dysfunction in rats. Over the course of the development of liver dysfunction, several oxidative stress parameters, increased liver marker enzymatic functions (AST, ALP and ALT activities) were determined in CCl4 treated rats. Supplementation of Rosmarinus officinalis prevented the liver damage by reducing elevated level of lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide and advanced oxidative protein product

Numerous scientific studies show that the people whose food intake is rich in antioxidants and who also take antioxidant supplements, have better chances to live longer, healthier and happier lives. Antioxidants are a family of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that may prevent or delay some types of cell damage. Thus, they might be beneficial in preventing diseases and contribute to the length and quality of human life. Hundreds of antioxidants are produced in the human body, but some necessary antioxidants must be obtained from the outer sources. But do they work separately in our bodies? Or antioxidants in our bodies can incorporate with each other in order to improve human lives. Some studies about antioxidants come up with a

Reverting the antioxidants enzymes to their normal values after administration of GTE. The underlying mechanisms attributed to the hepatoprotective influence of GTE against NP could be contributed to the following: GTE have been shown to neutralize and scavenges reactive oxygen species, thereby reducing the damage to lipid membranes, proteins and nucleic acids in cell-free systems (Khan et al., 2014). Also, It has also been suggested that catechins similar to vitamin C convert vitamin E radical (α-tocopheroxyl radical) to its active form (α-tocopherol) (Mukai et al.. 2005; Zhou et al., 2005). Furthermore, GTE reduces the concentration of lipid peroxidation in the liver and serum (Skrzydlewska et al., 2002; Crespy and Williamson 2004).

Antioxidants are bioactive molecules in foods which inhibit the oxidation of other molecules. Antioxidant capacity refers to an individual’s overall antioxidant level and activity in the body (Van Duyn and Pivonka 2000). A higher antioxidant capacity leads to a decrease in free radicals. Free radicals cause oxidative stress. Therefore, a higher antioxidant capacity leads to a decrease in plasma membrane, protein and DNA damage (Valko et al 2007). Increased levels and chronic levels of oxidative stress have been shown to be contributors in inflammatory and cardiovascular related diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, stroke and some cancers also (Grimble 1994) (Conner and Grisham 1996).