Abstract
The increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contributes to the reduced risk of many diseases related to metabolic syndrome, including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and cancer. Citrus, the genus Citrus L., is one of the most important fruit crops, rich in carotenoids, flavonoids, terpenes, limonoids, and many other bioactive compounds of nutritional and nutraceutical value. Moreover, polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs), a unique class of bioactive flavonoids, abundantly occur in citrus fruits. In addition, citrus essential oil, rich in limonoids and terpenes, is an economically important product due to its potent antioxidant, antimicrobial, and flavoring properties. Mechanistic, observational, and intervention studies have demonstrated the health benefits of citrus bioactives in minimizing the risk of metabolic syndrome. This review provides a comprehensive view of the composition of carotenoids, flavonoids, terpenes, and limonoids of citrus fruits and their associated health benefits.
Highlights
Mechanistic, observational, and intervention studies have shown that increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contributes to the reduced risk of many diseases related to metabolic syndrome, including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, and cancer [1,2]
We have demonstrated that the anticancer activities of β-cryptoxanthin derived from mandarin oranges on human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells are mediated through pro-oxidant action, which enhances the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, followed by the enhanced expression of caspase-3, -7, and -9, Bax, and p-53 at the mRNA, with the concordant suppression of antiapoptotic B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2)
Hyperlipidemia is the condition of disorder of lipid metabolism, resulting in abnormally elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) and very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-c), triglyceride (TG), and total cholesterol (TC) in the blood, as well as reduced levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) [102]
Summary
Mechanistic, observational, and intervention studies have shown that increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains contributes to the reduced risk of many diseases related to metabolic syndrome, including neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, and cancer [1,2]. These diseases are primarily associated with systemic and low-grade chronic inflammation prompted by oxidative stress. Several outstanding reviews have recently been published on citrus’ bioactive composition and health benefits (Table 2), centering primarily on flavonoids and essential oil (terpenes and limonoids). Biological properties against metabolic disorder, atherosclerosis, inflammation, neuroinflammation, cancer, and oxidation [27]
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