点击显示 收起
Department of Nutrition
University of California, Davis
3415 Meyer Hall, One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
E-mail: rbrucker{at}ucdavis.edu
Flavonoids in Health and Disease, second edition, revised and expanded, is a well-balanced and important summary of the current state of the art of flavonoid chemistry and biology. Catherine A Rice-Evans and Lester Packer, as editors, assembled chapters from knowledgeable authors whose specialties range from plant biology to human medicine. Many of the authors are also leaders in their principal areas of training. This book is part of the Oxidative Stress and Disease series that is published by Marcel Dekker.
The book is divided into 4 parts: Occurrence and Analysis; Characterization, Chemical, and Biological Properties; Cell Interactions In Vivo and In Vitro; and Absorption, Metabolism, and Bioavailability. Each chapter in a given section is contemporary, scholarly, and written at an accessible level.
The reader will obtain insights into the biologic and health-related roles of phenolic compounds in fruit and vegetables and into the distribution of phenolic compounds and the chemical alterations they undergo as a result of storage and food processing. The chapters dealing with characterization and analysis are particularly noteworthy. The quality of research on flavonoids is often defined by the sensitivity and precision of the analytic procedures used. In this regard, a number of useful benchmarks and criteria are defined. Descriptions of the application of mass spectrometry as a tool to define and characterize bioflavonoid derivatives are quite helpful. In particular, the chapter by GGC Kuhnle is useful in describing approaches to mass spectral analysis and the care needed in interpreting complex flavonoid fragmentation patterns. Key literature is surveyed with respect to clinical and basic biology descriptions. Although all of the authors appear to be strong advocates of the health benefits of flavonoids, the discussions and interpretation are balanced and not overly speculative. Considerable attention is given to the observation that flavonoids are highly modified in vivo by phase 2 enzymatic processes (eg, glycosylation, glucuronidation, methylation, or sulfation). Thus, studies performed in vitro with parent compounds may not be uniformly helpful in assessing or predicting responses in vivo. Information is also provided on the tissue distribution and turnover of flavonoids.
In summary, the second edition of Flavonoids in Health and Disease is an excellent desk reference. The book is well edited, and many of its chapters provide excellent summations of the current state of the art.