Advances in Antioxidative Bioactive Macromolecules

Abstract

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, coronary heart disease, and arthritis. The antioxidative bioactive macromolecules, as evidenced by substantial studies, can effectively scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radicals or mediate the immune system of the body to regulate the redox level, arousing the concern of numerous researchers on their antioxidative activities. An overview was carried out in this paper emphasizing on the types, antioxidant activities, application fields, and preparation methods of antioxidative biomacromolecules, which is expected to provide theoretical basis for the development and utilization of antioxidative biomacromolecules, as well as their applications in the fields of biomedicine, functional foods and skin care products.

Plant-Derived Antioxidants: Significance in Skin Health and the Ageing Process

“…Plants can exhibit a variety of properties, both medicinal in the case of certain skin diseases and promoting skin health, including through antioxidant effects [ 24 , 28 ]. The free-radical scavenging ability and antioxidant properties of plants are associated with the presence of components such as polyphenols, tocopherols, carotenoids, ascorbic acid, and macromolecules (including polysaccharides and peptides), as well as components of essential oils [ 16 , 24 , 31 ].…”

“…Macromolecules, such as proteins, peptides, and polysaccharides, are claimed to be health-promoting agents which can be used in medicine and in the cosmetics and food industries [ 31 , 90 ]. These exogenous bioactive compounds serve as important organic components of the body and can regulate the redox state.…”

“…These exogenous bioactive compounds serve as important organic components of the body and can regulate the redox state. Biomacromolecules can effectively remove ROS to slow ageing, protect skin cells, inhibit melanin production, and prevent lipid oxidation, especially in polyunsaturated fat-based products [ 31 , 91 ]. Several exogenous bioactive macromolecules have been shown to occur widely in plants [ 31 ].…”

“…They can be obtained from herbs, fruits, seeds or leaves [ 90 , 91 ]. Bioactive peptides (BPs) are defined as specific protein fractions (sequence of 2–20 amino acids) with positive physiological functions [ 31 , 91 ]. The consumption of food-derived peptides can supplement endogenous enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems and effectively reduce oxidative stress [ 90 ].…”

“…The consumption of food-derived peptides can supplement endogenous enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant systems and effectively reduce oxidative stress [ 90 ]. While the exact mechanisms of action of antioxidant peptides are not fully understood, some studies have demonstrated that BPs exhibit antioxidant properties through a variety of mechanisms, including scavenging of free radicals, electron or hydrogen transfer reduction, transition metal chelating activity, and ferric reducing power, as well as prevention of LPO [ 31 , 91 ]. Moreover, these molecules can also exhibit antioxidant activity by inducting the gene expression of proteins that protect cellular components from oxidative stress-induced damage.…”