Bioavailability and Bioefficacy of Polyphenol Antioxidants

Dear Colleagues,

Phenolic compounds comprise many chemical compounds, including secondary plant metabolites (e.g., flavonoids, lignans, stilbenes, and phenolic acids) and substances formed in food during processing (e.g., Maillard reaction products). These compounds are widely distributed in fruits, vegetables, seeds, herbs, and their derived products. These natural antioxidants have been gaining increasing interest mainly due to the association between their consumption and the prevention of cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, diabetes, and other illnesses. Many research studies on phenolics have shown that these compounds exhibit various biological effects, including antioxidant, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, anti-atherosclerotic, and anticancer effects. The bioavailability and bioefficacy of phenolics, including flavonoids, lignans, stilbenes, and phenolic acids, depend on their molecular structure, food matrix, occurrence of other substances, and digestion pathways. Recent evidence suggests that knowledge of phenolic compounds' pharmacokinetics and metabolism is crucial to understanding their role and function in human health. Furthermore, interactions of these antioxidants with the gut microbiota may also influence their biological roles. However, the precise mechanisms of plant antioxidants' action, effects, and bioavailability have still not yet been fully characterized.

Therefore, this Special Issue seeks original research articles and reviews covering the elucidated effects of metabolism and pharmacokinetics on the efficacy of flavonoids, lignans, stilbenes, phenolic acids, and their derivatives. It would also welcome in vitro and in vivo studies of the bioavailability, bioaccessibility, bioactivity (e.g., antioxidant and anti-inflammatory), and other potential health-promoting mechanisms of phenolic compounds, their interaction with other food components, methods of isolation, purification, and fractionation of phenolics and the possibility of their application in food.

Natural products: In studies of complex mixtures of natural products, the characterization of chemicals using analytical methodologies, such as HPLC, MS, LC–MS, HPLC–MS, and NMR, should be included.

Dr. Joanna Oracz
Prof. Dr. Dorota Żyżelewicz
Guest Editors

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