Recent Advances in Polyphenol Research

Contributors Preface 1 Monolignol Biosynthesis and its Genetic Manipulation: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly Richard A. Dixon, M. S. Srinivasa Reddy and Lina Gallego-Giraldo 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Function and distribution of lignin in plants 1.3 Targets for modification of lignin biosynthesis 1.4 Impacts of lignin modification by targeting the monolignol biosynthetic pathway 1.5 Impacts of lignin modification by targeting TFs 1.6 Monolignol pathway modification and plant growth 1.7 Conclusions - it isn't all that bad! 2 Perturbing Lignin Biosynthesis: Metabolic Changes in Response to Manipulation of the Phenylpropanoid Pathway Nickolas A. Anderson and Clint Chapple 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Changes in metabolism associated with phenylpropanoid pathway disruptions 2.3 Atypical lignins 2.4 Dwarfism 2.5 Conclusions 3 Function, Structure and Evolution of Flavonoid Glycosyltransferases in Plants Keiko Yonekura-Sakakibara and Kazuki Saito 3.1 Introduction 3.2 UDP-dependent glycosyltransferases 3.3 Glycoside hydrolase-type glycosyltransferases 3.4 Conclusions 4 The Chemistry and Chemical Ecology of Ellagitannins in Plant-Insect Interactions: from Underestimated Molecules to Bioactive Plant Constituents Juha-Pekka Salminen 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Definitions and chemical structures of hydrolysable tannins 4.3 Biosynthetic pathways of hydrolysable tannins in plants 4.4 Distribution of different types of tannins in plants 4.5 Tannins in plant-herbivore interactions 4.6 Conclusions 5 Diverse Ecological Roles of Plant Tannins: Plant Defense and Beyond C. Peter Constabel, Kazuko Yoshida and Vincent Walker 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Overview of Tannin Structure and Function in Defense 5.3 Tissue Localization and Ecological Function 5.4 Tannins in Plant-Soil-Environment Interactions 5.5 Conclusions 6 Epigenetics, Plant (Poly)phenolics and Cancer Prevention Clarissa Gerhauser 6.1 Overview of epigenetic gene regulation 6.2 Influence of polyphenols on DNA methylation 6.3 Influence of polyphenols on histone modifying enzymes 6.4 Influence of noncoding (micro) RNAs on gene expression 6.5 Chemopreventive polyphenols affecting the epigenome by multiple mechanisms 6.6 Summary and conclusions 7 Discovery of Polyphenol-Based Drugs for Cancer Prevention and Treatment - The Tumor Proteasome as a Novel Target Fathima R. Kona, Min Shen, Di Chen, Tak Hang Chan and Q. Ping Dou 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Secondary metabolites of plants 7.3 Plant polyphenols and their analogs 7.4 Natural polyphenols in reversing drug resistance 7.5 Conclusions 8 Flavonoid Occurrence, Bioavailability, Metabolism and Protective Effects in Humans: Focus on Flavan-3-ols and Flavonols Luca Calani, Margherita Dall'Asta, Renato Bruni and Daniele Del Rio 8.1 Introduction to flavonoids in human nutrition 8.2 Focus on flavan-3-ols and flavonols 8.3 Metabolism and bioavailability of flavonoids in humans 8.4 In vitro studies 8.5 In vivo studies 8.6 Conclusions 9 Inhibition of VEGF Signalling by Polyphenols in Relation to Atherosclerosis and Cardiovascular Disease Rebecca L. Edwards and Paul A. Kroon 9.1 Introduction 9.2 VEGF and VEGF signalling 9.3 VEGF signalling and angiogenesis 9.4 Angiogenesis in atherosclerosis 9.5 Polyphenols in foods and diets, and their absorption and metabolism 9.6 Effects of polyphenols on VEGF signalling, angiogenesis and atherosclerosis 9.7 Relationships between polyphenol consumption and cardiovascular disease risk 9.8 Conclusions 10 Phenolic Compounds in a Sex-Gender Perspective Ilaria Campesi, Annalisa Romani, Maria Marino and Flavia Franconi 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Phenolic compounds classification and molecular mechanisms 10.3 Sex-gender and xenokinetics of phenolic compounds 10.4 Sex-gender differences in xenodynamics 10.5 Conclusions 11 Thermodynamic and Kinetic Processes of Anthocyanins and Related Compounds and their Bio-Inspired Applications Fernando Pina 11.1 Why the thermodynamics and kinetics of the structural transformations of anthocyanins in aqueous solution are so important 11.2 Anthocyanins in aqueous solution 11.3 The influence of anthocyanin self-aggregation on the determination of the rate and equilibrium constants 11.4 Photochromism - Applications bio-inspired in anthocyanins 11.5 Appendix 1. Construction of the energy level diagram of the network species 11.6 Appendix 2. Calculation of the mole faction distribution of the network species 12 Synthetic Strategies and Tactics for Catechin and Related Polyphenols Ken Ohmori and Keisuke Suzuki 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Early synthetic work 12.3 Stereoselective Approaches to Flavan-3-ols 12.4 Conclusions Subject index