Medicinal Properties of Plant Polyphenolic Compounds

The key role of reactive oxygen species and other oxidants in the development of various diseases is well known.Long-term experience with antioxidant therapy has shown its effectiveness in the treatment of many pathological processes, which was confirmed by studying the parameters of cellular and tissue metabolism.At this time, introducing synthetic compounds with antioxidant properties in medical practice is often unsuccessful due to their instability, manifestation of side effects, or inability to be absorbed by the body.The biological activity of exogenous compounds with antioxidant properties is manifested through the direct inactivation of free radicals and/or the restoration of the activity of other endogenous antioxidants.In both cases, these mechanisms lead to the suspension of the free radicals' oxidation processes.Great interest in medicinal plants is due to their long-term use in folk medicine for both curative and prophylactic purposes (especially in developing countries).They can improve signals transmition between cells and influence gene expression.It is established that plant origin compounds are completely harmless to the metabolism of normal cells.The differential effects of phytochaemical compounds on normal and diseased cells are due to their high redox sensitivity, their ability to regulate oxidative metabolism, and affect the activity of detoxification systemsIn recent years' natural antioxidant compounds (propolis extract, citrus hesperidin, tea polyphenolic compounds, red grape extract, etc.) have been used for neutralization of free radical oxidation processes involved in the pathogenesis of various acute and chronic diseases (such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, aging, immunosuppression, and neurodegeneration).In given review the origin, structure, positive effects and medical application of plant origin polyphenols are discussed.