Naturally occurring phenols

This article is about the class of organic compounds containing a phenol group. For the parent compound, see Phenol.

In biochemistry, naturally occurring phenols are natural products containing at least one phenol functional group.[1][2][3] Phenolic compounds are produced by plants and microorganisms.[4] Organisms sometimes synthesize phenolic compounds in response to ecological pressures such as pathogen and insect attack, UV radiation and wounding.[5] As they are present in food consumed in human diets and in plants used in traditional medicine of several cultures, their role in human health and disease is a subject of research.[1][5][6][7]: 104  Some phenols are germicidal and are used in formulating disinfectants.

Phenol – the simplest of the phenols
Chemical structure of salicylic acid, the active metabolite of aspirin
Chemical structure of aloe emodin, a diphenol
Quercetin, a typical flavonoid, is a polyphenol
Tannic acid, a typical polyphenol of indeterminate structure
Lignin, is around 25% of the composition of wood This structure is repeated many times in each lignin molecule.
  1. ^ a b Khoddami, A; et al. (2013). "Techniques for analysis of plant phenolic compounds". Molecules. 18 (2): 2328–75. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.386.9960. doi:10.3390/molecules18022328. PMC 6270361. PMID 23429347.
  2. ^ Amorati, R; Valgimigli, L. (2012). "Modulation of the antioxidant activity of phenols by non-covalent interactions". Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry. 10 (21): 4147–4158. doi:10.1039/c2ob25174d. PMID 22505046.
  3. ^ Robbins, Rebecca J (2003). "Phenolic Acids in Foods: An Overview of Analytical Methodology". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 51 (10): 2866–2887. doi:10.1021/jf026182t. PMID 12720366. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2018-12-02.
  4. ^ Hättenschwiler, Stephan; Vitousek, Peter M. (2000). "The role of polyphenols in terrestrial ecosystem nutrient cycling". Trends in Ecology & Evolution. 15 (6): 238–243. doi:10.1016/S0169-5347(00)01861-9. PMID 10802549.
  5. ^ a b Klepacka, J; et al. (2011). "Phenolic Compounds as Cultivar- and Variety-distinguishing Factors in Some Plant Products". Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 66 (1): 64–69. doi:10.1007/s11130-010-0205-1. PMC 3079089. PMID 21243436.
  6. ^ Mishra, BB; Tiwari, VK. (2011). "Natural products: an evolving role in future drug discovery". Eur J Med Chem. 46 (10): 4769–807. doi:10.1016/j.ejmech.2011.07.057. PMID 21889825.
  7. ^ Wildman, Robert E. C. (2016-04-19). Handbook of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods. CRC Press. ISBN 9781420006186.