Dietary Lignans: Definition, Description and Research Trends in Databases Development

Abstract

The study aims to communicate the current status regarding the development and management of the databases on dietary lignans; within the phytochemicals, the class of the lignan compounds is of increasing interest because of their potential beneficial properties, i.e., anticancerogenic, antioxidant, estrogenic, and antiestrogenic activities. Furthermore, an introductory overview of the main characteristics of the lignans is described here. In addition to the importance of the general databases, the role and function of a food composition database is explained. The occurrence of lignans in food groups is described; the initial construction of the first lignan databases and their inclusion in harmonized databases at national and/or European level is presented. In this context, some examples of utilization of specific databases to evaluate the intake of lignans are reported and described.

Polyphenols: A concise overview on the chemistry, occurrence, and human health

“…Lignans are vascular plant secondary metabolites, with widespread occurrence in the plant kingdom and to which are attributed a wide range of physiological properties, positively influencing human health (Durazzo, ). As reported by Durazzo, Lucarini, et al (), in a review on the occurrence of lignans in food groups, which also summarizes the main national databases of lignans, the main sources of dietary lignans are oilseeds (i.e., flax, soy, rapeseed, and sesame), whole‐grain cereals (i.e., wheat, oats, rye, and barley), legumes, various vegetables, and fruit (particularly berries), as well as beverages, such as coffee, tea, and wine, and, recently, lignans are also reported in dairy products, meat, and fish. The main dietary lignans are secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol, lariciresinol, pinoresinol, medioresinol, and syringaresinol (shown in Figure ).…”

“…Xanthones, stilbenes, lignans, and tannins belong to non‐flavonoids phenolic compounds (Durazzo, Lucarini, et al, ; González‐Laredo, Rocha‐Guzmán, Gallegos‐Infante, Moreno‐Jiménez, & Gómez, ; Gutiérrez‐Grijalva, Ambriz‐Pére, Leyva‐López, Castillo‐López, & Heredia, ; Kabera et al, ). They are compounds with at least two aromatic rings in the structure, whereas only tannins have more aromatic rings.…”

“…The need for categorization of polyphenols and for the implementation of specific and dedicated databases emerged, based on both analytical data and collected data taken from literature throughout a harmonized and standardized approach for the evaluation of an adequate dietary intake (Durazzo et al, ; Durazzo, Lucarini, et al, ).…”

“…Within nutraceuticals (Andrew & Izzo, ; Daliu, Santini, & Novellino, ; Durazzo & Lucarini, ; Santini et al, ; Santini & Novellino, ; Santini & Novellino, ; Santini, Tenore, & Novellino, ), more than 8,000 different phenolics are identified in the plant kingdom and represent one of most numerous and widely distributed class of plant secondary metabolites (Cheynier, Comte, Davies, Lattanzio, & Martens, ; Kabera, Semana, Mussa, & He, ; Santini, Novellino, Armini, & Ritieni, ). Several outstanding reviews on polyphenols have been recently published (Amiot, Riva, & Vinet, ; Bernatoniene & Kopustinskiene, ; Białecka‐Florjańczyk, Fabiszewska, & Zieniuk, ; Clifford, Jaganath, Ludwig, & Crozier, ; Costa et al, ; Durazzo et al, ; Pervaiz, Songtao, Faghihi, Haider, & Fang, ; Roche et al, ; Xiao, Zhang, Tong, & Shi, ; H. Zhang & Tsao, ; Zhao et al, ), and the reader is referred to them for a more in‐depth information. Here, we provide a concise introductory guide for the beginners in order to assist them in their initial entry into the chemistry and pharmacology of polyphenols.…”

Fruit‐based juices: Focus on antioxidant properties—Study approach and update

“…Lignans are vascular plant secondary metabolites, with widespread occurrence in the plant kingdom, and which are ascribed to a wide range of physiological functions, positively affecting human health (Durazzo, ). Durazzo et al () described the occurrence of lignans in food groups and in the main national existing databases of lignans. The main dietary lignans are secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol, lariciresinol, pinoresinol, medioresinol, and syringaresinol and are shown in Figure .…”