Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Studies in Natural Products Chemistry, cilt.85, ss.283-393, 2025 (Scopus)
Horticultural crops have medicinal value, and some crops are known for their medicinal properties and can be beneficial to health. It is worth exploring the potential of these crops as a natural source of medicine. Horticultural crops are important foods that contribute to human nutrition by providing essential vitamins and minerals. They also contain bioactive compounds that offer preventive and therapeutic properties, making them medicinally beneficial. Various studies have shown that consuming horticultural crops can help improve human health and may also aid in preventing and treating a wide range of diseases. The medicinal valuable bioactive compounds can be listed as antioxidants, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), tocopherol and tocotrienols (vitamin E), carotenoids, carotenes (β-carotene and α-carotene), xanthophylls (lutein, β-cryptoxanthin, and zeaxanthin), dietary polyphenols (phenolic acids, stilbenes), flavonoids (flavanols, flavanones, flavonols, flavones, anthocyanins, isoflavones), tannins, and lignans, phenolic acids (hydroxybenzoic acids (salicylic, gallic, and vanillic acids) and hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic, ferulic, and p-coumaric acids), stilbenes, resveratrol, lignans and lignin, tannins, capsaicin, and glucosinolates. Based on the results of recent studies, this chapter concentrates on the bioactive compounds of the most studied and medically significant horticultural crops, their effects on human health, and their roles in disease prevention. Fruits and vegetables are among the foods that should make up a significant portion of the diet because of the numerous bioactive compounds they contain and the enormous benefits they have for human health, according to the findings of recent literature reviewed in this chapter. In recent years, a growing number of research and review studies have focused on the numerous valuable compounds found in horticultural crops, as well as the therapeutic and protective benefits of these compounds against various diseases. Some compound-based published studies focus on the protective and therapeutic properties of valuable compounds against different diseases, while other species-based studies focus on the general protective and therapeutic properties of horticultural crops. This comprehensive review covers both species-based and compound-based studies, which were conducted under in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trial conditions. Although the studies yielded primarily conclusive results, some researchers have highlighted the importance of conducting further clinical research to corroborate the efficacy of these findings when combined with existing therapies. It is expected that the information presented in this chapter will be a valuable resource for researchers interested in exploring this dynamic, open-to-research, and multifaceted field.