Recent advances in the synthesis, chemical transformations and pharmacological studies of some important dietary spice’s constituents

Abstract

Chemoprevention, a relatively new and promising strategy to prevent various human disorders, is defined as the use of natural dietary compounds and/or synthetic substances to block, inhibit, reverse, or retard the process of their occurrence. Spices are valued not only as food adjuncts to enhance the sensory quality of food but also for their medicinal properties. The spices such as dietary garlic, onion, fenugreek, red pepper, turmeric, and ginger have been proven to be effective hypocholesterolemics in experimentally induced hypercholesterolemia. The hypolipidemic potential of fenugreek in diabetic subjects and of garlic and onion in humans with induced lipemia has been demonstrated. Capsaicin and curcumin - the bioactive compounds of red pepper and turmeric respectively - are documented to be efficacious at doses comparable to usual human intake. This review explores recent work on the chemical transformations, synthesis of analogues and their pharmacological uses of key phytochemicals from some important Indian dietary spices such as Curcuma longa (Turmeric or Haldi), Zingiber officinale (Ginger), Piper nigrum (Black pepper), Allium sativum and Allium cepa (Garlic and Onion), Crocus sativus (Saffron or Kesar) and Trigonella foenum-graecum (Fenugreek or Methi) during the period 2008 to 2013. It also contains an overview of the global and Indian nutraceutical market.