Amaranth: A reservoir of antioxidant-based phytonutrient for combating degenerative diseases

Genetic and seasonal variability of bioactive polyphenolic compounds and antioxidant‐based phytonutrient promise of diverse vegetable amaranths of Indo‐Gangetic plains of West Bengal

“…The present study investigated genotype‐specific accumulation of bioactive flavonoids and phenolic acids (kaempferol, apigenin, naringenin, quercetin, myrecetin, rutin, naringin, catechin, salicylic acid, sinapic acid, ellagic acid, ferulic acid, p‐coumaric acid, syringic acid, caffic acid, vanillic acid, chlorogenic acid, p‐hydroxyl benzoic acid, gentisic acid, protocatechuic acid, and gallic acid), which corroborates some previous findings of Amaranthus leafy vegetables 21,44 . All these polyphenolic compounds found to be extremely potent in the suppression of ROS generation and prevention of the rate of oxidative damages or scavenging secondary radical species of lipid peroxidation, thereby restricting oxidative deterioration associated with degenerative diseases 1,44 . Further, these polyphenolic compounds are very good chelator of transition metal ion like Fe 2+ and Cu 2+ necessary for Fenton reaction for prevention of generation of most toxic ROS (hydroxyl radicals) 1,44,45 …”

“…In the present study, we have standardized several important biochemical assay techniques like reducing power, metal chelating property, hydroxyl radical scavenging property, superoxide radical scavenging property, antilipid peroxidation, antiprotein coagulation property, antidiabetic property, and radical scavenging properties(ABTS, DPPH, and FRAP assay) as sensitive biomarkers for evaluating antioxidant potential for experimental crops. All these assay techniques have been widely used to validate antioxidant‐based nutraceuticals properties of the plants 1,67 …”

“…An incredible utilization of antioxidant‐based phytonutrients as nutritional supplements from underutilized crops like amaranths for plummeting the hazard of degenerative diseases is witnessed in last few decades 1–3 . Though several workers reported ethnomedicinal and folklore based utilization of Amaranthus against several chronic degenerative diseases, precisely as hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, anticancerous, antiviral, and other purposes, but there is enormously short of scientific information to bridge to validate the ethnomedicinal claim with scientific data based on throughput technologies to make it more pertinent to the existing state of health affairs of our country and the globe for scientific exploration 1,4 . Some current studies on amaranths reported several free and conjugated polyphenolic compounds, with the significantly higher amount being constituted by phenolic acids and different classes of flavonoids 1,2,5 .…”

“…Flavonoids like rutin, kaempferol, naringenin, naringin, catechin, and myrecetin derived from chalcone synthase pathway are widely used in the prevention of degenerative diseases, which can be largely corroborated by their antioxidant properties 13–16 . Flavonoids kaempferol, rutin, myrecetin, and naraingenin are strong antioxidant, which shows prevention of diabetes 1,13–18 . Catechin, rutin, myrecetin, kaempferol, naringin, naringenin, and apigenin plays as antioxidant to enhance anti‐inflammatory property 11,13,16,19 .…”

“…[1][2][3] Though several workers reported ethnomedicinal and folklore based utilization of Amaranthus against several chronic degenerative diseases, precisely as hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, anticancerous, antiviral, and other purposes, but there is enormously short of scientific information to bridge to validate the ethnomedicinal claim with scientific data based on throughput technologies to make it more pertinent to the existing state of health affairs of our country and the globe for scientific exploration. 1,4 Some current studies on amaranths reported several free and conjugated polyphenolic compounds, with the significantly higher amount being constituted by phenolic acids and different classes of flavonoids. 1,2,5 Moreover, in the majority of the cases where amaranth supplements are used to combat chronic degenerative diseases are found to be enriched with polyphenolic compounds.…”