ICAR-Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, India.
Department of Biosciences, Manipal University Jaipur, Jaipur 303007, India.
Food Res Int. 2020 Mar;129:108849. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108849. Epub 2019 Dec 2.
Free radicals are one or more unpaired electrons containing reactive molecules, which can damage nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids, leading to several diseases including early aging, cancer and atherosclerosis. Antioxidants can scavenge these free radicals to prevent cellular damage by ultimately reducing the oxidative stress and thus have a beneficial effect on human health. Epidemiological studies have already revealed that higher intake of antioxidants as food supplements results in reduced risk of many diseases. Exploring natural antioxidants and its role in human health & nutrition is an emerging field. Several biological sources like medicinal plants, vegetables, spices and fruits have been evaluated as sources of potentially safe natural antioxidants. Beside plants, microorganisms are the potential source of novel bioactive compounds to be used in medical, agricultural, and industrial sectors. As compared to plants, microbes can be grown under controlled conditions at a faster rate, which make them a potential source of natural bioactive molecules for food and nutraceutical applications. This review summarizes the potential of different microorganisms including actinomycetes, bacteria, blue green algae, fungi, lichens and mushrooms to be explored as the source of such bioactive compounds.
自由基是指含有不成对电子的反应性分子，它们可以破坏核酸、蛋白质、碳水化合物和脂质，导致多种疾病，包括早衰、癌症和动脉粥样硬化。抗氧化剂可以清除这些自由基，通过最终减少氧化应激来防止细胞损伤，因此对人类健康有有益的影响。流行病学研究已经表明，作为食物补充剂摄入更多的抗氧化剂可以降低许多疾病的风险。探索天然抗氧化剂及其在人类健康和营养中的作用是一个新兴领域。一些生物来源，如药用植物、蔬菜、香料和水果，已被评估为潜在安全的天然抗氧化剂来源。除了植物，微生物也是新型生物活性化合物的潜在来源，可以用于医学、农业和工业领域。与植物相比，微生物可以在更快的速度下在控制条件下生长，这使它们成为用于食品和营养应用的天然生物活性分子的潜在来源。这篇综述总结了不同微生物（包括放线菌、细菌、蓝藻、真菌、地衣和蘑菇）作为此类生物活性化合物来源的潜力。
