Biological Roles and Mechanism of Phytochemicals in Disease Prevention and Treatment

Phytochemicals are found in several foods, vegetables, and medicinal plants, which play a significant role in inhibiting and treating several diseases. They frequently possess significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, and free radical scavenging capabilities, which are the basis of the bioactivities and health benefits, including antitumor and protective activities for neurodegenerative diseases and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Phytochemicals are vital in inhibiting chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. The main classes of these phytochemicals with disease-inhibiting functions are antioxidants, anticancer, dietary fiber, detoxifying, immunity-potentiating, and neuropharmacological agents. However, each class of these functional drugs contains an extensive range of chemicals with different potency. Epidemiological and preclinical studies have constantly revealed that a regular feeding of fruits and vegetables is powerfully linked with a decreased risk of progressing chronic diseases. The purpose of this chapter is to summarize the recent relevant information described in the literature on the phytochemicals with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and their potential defensive effects in multiple diseases, including cancer, neurodegenerative, and CVDs.