Plants as a Natural Antioxidant: A Review

Nearly all plants have compounds that own antioxidant activity. Plant-based diets have the potential to alleviate the atherosclerotic dent caused by undue production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and also protect against chronic oxidative stress-related diseases. Plant antioxidants may contribute to beneficial health effects. They are polyphenolics that occur in all parts of the plant – wood, bark, stems, leaves, fruit, roots, flowers, pollen and seeds. Some form complexes with metals. However, the foremost worth is in their primary antioxidant activity (i.e., as free radical acceptors and as chain breakers). The antioxidant activities in these plants vary from extremely slight to very great. Natural antioxidants possibly purpose as reducing agents, free radical scavengers, complexers of pro-oxidant metals and quenchers of the formation of singlet oxygen. The most common natural antioxidants are flavonoids (flavanols, isoflavones, flavones, catchins, flavanones), cinnamic acid derivatives, coumarins, tocopherols and polyfunctional organic acids.