Abstract
Phenol-Explorer, launched in 2009, is the only comprehensive web-based database on the content in foods of polyphenols, a major class of food bioactives that receive considerable attention due to their role in the prevention of diseases. Polyphenols are rarely absorbed and excreted in their ingested forms, but extensively metabolized in the body, and until now, no database has allowed the recall of identities and concentrations of polyphenol metabolites in biofluids after the consumption of polyphenol-rich sources. Knowledge of these metabolites is essential in the planning of experiments whose aim is to elucidate the effects of polyphenols on health. Release 2.0 is the first major update of the database, allowing the rapid retrieval of data on the biotransformations and pharmacokinetics of dietary polyphenols. Data on 375 polyphenol metabolites identified in urine and plasma were collected from 236 peer-reviewed publications on polyphenol metabolism in humans and experimental animals and added to the database by means of an extended relational design. Pharmacokinetic parameters have been collected and can be retrieved in both tabular and graphical form. The web interface has been enhanced and now allows the filtering of information according to various criteria. Phenol-Explorer 2.0, which will be periodically updated, should prove to be an even more useful and capable resource for polyphenol scientists because bioactivities and health effects of polyphenols are dependent on the nature and concentrations of metabolites reaching the target tissues. The Phenol-Explorer database is publicly available and can be found online at http://www.phenol-explorer.eu.Database URL: http://www.phenol-explorer.eu
Highlights
Polyphenols are secondary plant metabolites abundant in many plant foods [1]
(page number not for citation purposes) with a reduced risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancers in various epidemiological studies and clinical trials [4,5,6]. They are regarded as important components of a healthy diet and are thought to be partly responsible for the health benefits of an increased fruit and vegetable consumption [7]. They may explain the protective effects of tea against cardiovascular diseases [8, 9] or of coffee against type 2 diabetes [10]
We report the second major release of PhenolExplorer (Phenol-Explorer 2.0), which extends the utility of the database by allowing the retrieval of information pertaining to the in vivo metabolism and pharmacokinetics of dietary polyphenols
Summary
Polyphenols are secondary plant metabolites abundant in many plant foods [1]. An average dietary intake of 1–2 g/ day has been reported in several Western populations with fruits and beverages such as tea, coffee, wine and fruit juices recognized as the major dietary sources [2, 3]. (page number not for citation purposes) with a reduced risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancers in various epidemiological studies and clinical trials [4,5,6] For this reason, they are regarded as important components of a healthy diet and are thought to be partly responsible for the health benefits of an increased fruit and vegetable consumption [7]. In the last 15 years, scientific and commercial interest in polyphenols has grown dramatically, and several thousand studies investigating their bioactivities, metabolism and health effects are published every year
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