Phenolic Compounds and their Biological and Pharmaceutical Activities

Phenolic compounds play an essential role in plants and foods. These compounds are well known for their biological and pharmaceutical activities. These compounds act as colorants and antioxidants. Research on phenolic compounds is mainly focused on their antioxidant properties. These compounds showed significant effects on chronic degenerative diseases, such as central neurodegenerative disorders, cataracts, macular degeneration (age-related), diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular complication, and cancer. These compounds also showed implications on human health since increased exposure to free radicals might lead to an increased risk of degenerative diseases. Fruits and vegetables are rich in phenolic compounds. The phenolic compound consists of one (phenolic acids) or more polyphenols aromatic structures attached to a hydroxyl group. The phenolic compound is found in combination with mono or polysaccharides, and they can occur in the group as an ester or methyl ester. Their biological and pharmaceutical activities are based on their phenolic ring and a hydroxyl group. Apart from antioxidant activity, they have many other therapeutic effects on human health. Among the several classes of phenolic compounds, flavonoids, tannins, and phenolic acids are considered as main dietary phenolic compounds. In this chapter, we have summarized the biological and pharmaceutical activities related to different classes of phenolic compounds.