**2. Role of phytochemicals in disease prevention in human**

Phytochemicals present in medicinal plants, such as alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavonoids, phenols, steroids, carotenoids, etc., have several disease prevention activity [1]. These plantderived chemical compounds play important preventive activities mainly anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antiaging, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antidepressant, anticancer, antioxidant, and wound healing [2]. They also have great role in stress tolerance of plants and accumulation of many important bioactive compounds in fruits and vegetables.

Flavonoids are the most common bioactive compounds found in medicinal plants [3]. They have several preventive activities in human disease such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and wound-healing capacity [4–6]. Anticarcinogenic flavonoids

have been reported to be found in a number of fruits and vegetables [7, 8]. Apple and berries found to have cardioprotective properties and showed positive impact on blood pressure [9].

**Author details**

**References**

Md Asaduzzaman1,2\* and Toshiki Asao1

University, Matsue, Shimane, Japan

Institute, Gazipur, Bangladesh

DOI: 10.1021/np9904509

DOI: 10.1111/wrr.12205

DOI: 10.1007/s11883-013-0368-y

\*Address all correspondence to: asadcbt@bari.gov.bd

2013;**16**:538-543. DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2012.0084

1 Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, Shimane

2 Olericulture Division, Horticulture Research Center, Bangladesh Agricultural Research

Introductory Chapter: Phytochemicals and Disease Prevention

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.81877

3

[1] Barbosa A, Silveira GD, de Menezes I, Neto J, Bitencurt J, Estavam CD, et al. Antidiabetic effect of the *Chrysobalanus icaco* L. aqueous extract in rats. Journal of Medicinal Food.

[2] Bahramsoltani R, Farzaei MH, Rahimi R. Medicinal plants and their natural components as future drugs for the treatment of burn wounds: An integrative review. Archives of

[3] Pietta PG. Flavonoids as antioxidants. Journal of Natural Products. 2000;**63**:1035-1042.

[4] Cushnie TPT, Lamb AJ. Antimicrobial activity of flavonoids. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. 2005;**26**:343-356. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2005.09.002

[5] Procházková D, Boušová I, Wilhelmová N. Antioxidant and prooxidant properties of

[6] Chirumbolo S. Flavonoids in propolis acting on mast cell-mediated wound healing.

[7] Barrientos S, Brem H, Stojadinovic O, Tomic-Canic M. Clinical application of growth factors and cytokines in wound healing. Wound Repair and Regeneration. 2014;**22**:569-578.

[8] Ahmed SA, Nazim S, Siraj S, Siddik PM, Wahid CA. *Euphorbia neriifolia* Linn: A phytopharmacological review. International Research Journal of Pharmacy. 2011;**2**:41-48 [9] Toh JY, Tan VMH, Lim PCY, Lim ST, Chong MFF. Flavonoids from fruit and vegetables: A focus on cardiovascular risk factors. Current Atherosclerosis Reports. 2013;**15**:368.

[10] Chalker-Scott L. Environmental significance of anthocyanins in plant stress responses. Photochemistry and Photobiology. 1999;**70**:1-9. DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1999.tb01944.x

Dermatological Research. 2014;**306**:601-617. DOI: 10.1007/s00403-014-1474-6

flavonoids. Fitoterapia. 2011;**82**:513-523. DOI: 10.1016/j.fitote.2011.01.018

Inflammopharmacology. 2012;**20**:99-102. DOI: 10.1007/s10787-012-0125-9

Anthocyanins are the flavonoid constituents abundant in cell vacuole responsible for pigmentation in flowers, fruits, and vegetables and produced generally during plant under environmental stress [10, 11]. *In vitro* studies showed antioxidative activities of anthocyanins in cell culture systems such as colon, liver, breast, leukemic cell, and keratinocytes [12–15].

Carotenoids are considered as the potential natural antioxidant found in fruits and vegetables. They include xanthophyll and carotenes having scavenging of peroxyl radical [16]. Lycopene is common in tomato and berries, while β-carotenes are orange-colored carotenoids abundant in yellow-orange and dark-green leafy vegetables [17].
