This document discusses nutraceuticals, specifically antioxidants and dietary fibers. It defines nutraceuticals as foods that provide distinct health benefits, including the prevention of disease. Antioxidants help reduce oxidative stress and damage from reactive oxygen species. The document classifies antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, carotenoids, flavonoids, and discusses their health benefits like reducing disease risk. Dietary fibers are classified as soluble or insoluble and provide benefits like bulking stool movement and lowering blood glucose and cholesterol levels.

1. Health benefits of antioxidants and dietary
fibres as nutraceuticals
Prepared By- Nabarun Mukhopadhyay
Assistant Professor
Department of Pharmacognosy
Bapuji Pharmacy College
Davangere

2. CONTENTS
1. NUTRACEUTICALS-
• CLASSIFICATION
2. ANTIOXIDANTS-
• CELLULAR OXIDATION
• OXIDATIVE STRESS AND REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES
• FREE RADICAL
3. MECHANISM OF ACTION OF ANTIOXIDANTS
4. CLASSIFICATION OF ANTIOXIDANTS
5. DESCRIPTION OF ANTIOXIDANTS
• VITAMIN E AND C
• CAROTENOIDS AND VITAMIN A
• FLAVONOIDS
6. DIETARY FIBRES
• CLASSIFICATION
• HEALTH BENEFITS
7. REFERENCES

3. NUTRACEUTICALS
• Nutraceutical may be defined as “ a food that essentially
provides distinct health and medical benefits, even including
the prevention and/or treatment of a particular disease”.
•Dr. Stephen L. Defelice defines nutraceuticals as any
substance that may be considered as food or part of food
which in addition to its normal nutritive value provides
health benefits including prevention of diseases.

4. CLASSIFICATION OF NUTRACEUTICALS

5. ANTIOXIDANTS
CELLULAR OXIDATION - It is a natural phenomenon that
takes place in our biological system. During this process the
body gets energy but also destructive free radicals are
generated which are toxic.
OXIDATIVE STRESS- When generation of the reactive
oxygen species overtakes the antioxidant defence of the
cells, oxidative damage of cellular macromolecules( lipids,
proteins) occurs.

6. REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES
Sources of ROS are
Produced from molecular oxygen(o2)
• Superoxide anion radical(O2-)
• Peroxide ANION(O22-)
• Singlet oxygen(1o2)
Produced by dismutation of peroxide
• Hydroxyl radical(.OH)
EXOGENOUS AND ENDOGENOUS SOURCES
Cosmic reaction, cigarette smoke, UV light, ozone
Auto oxidation of amino acids, hemoglobin, calcitonin

7. FREE RADICALS
Free radicals are the chemical species having at least one
unpaired electron in valence shell capable of independent
existence. Presence of unpaired electrons makes the
molecule highly unstable and highly reactive.
 The processes by which free radicals and ions are formed
are illustrated bellow:
Radical formation by electron transfer A:+B- A* +B
Radical formation by hemolytic fusion A:B- A*+B
Ion formation by heterolytic fission A:B – A:- +B+

8. MECHANISM OF ACTION OF ANTIOXIDANTS

9. CLASSIFICATION OF ANTIOXIDANTS
 Nutritional Antioxidants
1. Vitamin- Vitamin E and C
2. Carotenoids and vitamin A
3. Flavonoids
4. Vitamin Cofactors and minerals
5. Polyphenol antioxidants
6. Other non flavonoid phenolics
7. Other organic antioxidants
 Non nutritional antioxidants
1. Enzymes
2. Peptides
3. proteins

10. VITAMIN E AND VITAMIN C- Vitamin is a naturally occuring
antioxidant. The dietary sources are wheat germ oil,
cotton seed oil, peanut oil and sunflower oil.
ROLE IN DISEASE PREVENTION- It has various roles in
disease prevention. Such as
• Protection of cell from oxidative damage.
• Protection of LDL from oxidation.
• Reduction of oxidative damage of eyes, lens and blood
vessel.
• It suppresses HMG COA reductase parallel with tumor
growth suppression for several cell lines.

11. VITAMIN C- The dietary sources are citrus fruits,
green vegetables, tomato, amla.
ROLE IN DISEASE PREVENTION-
• It improve glycemic control and decrease fasting
blood glucose.
•It increases the oxidation resistance of atherogenic
lipoprotein in human plasma.
•It also reduce reperfusion injury after ischemia.

12. CAROTENOIDS AND VITAMIN A- The carotenoid
compounds are
•LYCOPENE- It is obtained from tomato, guava, papaya.
It is a powerful antioxidant that retards damage to DNA
and proteins.
It is more soluble in oil than water.

13. B CAROTENE- It is obtained from carrot, sweet potato.
It is a weak antioxidant but strong against singlet
oxygen.
It may cause stimulation for the DNA repair
mechanisms.
It provides cornea protection against harmful UV
radiation.

14. FLAVONOIDS

15. ROLE OF FLAVONOIDS IN DISEASE PREVENTION
• Flavonoids are good scavengers of free radicals due to
high reactivates of their hydroxyl substituents in a
hydrogen atom abstraction reaction FI(OH) + R.- FI(O)
+RH
• It inhibits a wide range of enzymes including ATP ase,
ATP reductase.
• It inhibit auto oxidation of linoleic acid, oxidation of
low density lipoproteins etc.

16. DIETARY FIBRES
Dietary fibres play critical role in keeping good health
in human and animals.
 These are necessary for our body to function properly.
 CLASSIFICATION
• Water soluble fibres
• Water insoluble fibres

17. HEALTH BENEFITS

18. • They absorb water to a certain extent and mainly
contribute to bulking of stool, and allow quick passage of
wastes through the elementary canal.
•Slows down the absorption of glucose and reduces blood
cholesterol levels.

19. REFERENCES
1. TEXTBOOK OF PHARMACOGNOSY AND PHYTOCHEMISTRY-
BIREN SHAH, A.K.SETH, FIRST EDITION 2010, PUBLISHED BY
ELSEVIER
2. PHARMACOGNOSY AND PHYTOCHEMISTRY- ASHUTOSH KAR,
SECOND EDITION 2007, PUBLISHED BY NEW AGE
INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHERS
3. Mechanism of action of dietary fibre in the human
colon ALISON M. STEPHEN & JOHN H. CUMMINGS
Nature 284, 283 - 284 (20 March 1980);
Doi:10.1038/284283a0