Phenolic compounds: their journey after intake

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Science
• Pharmacology
• Food Chemistry

Background:

• Plant-derived phenolic compounds (PCs) possess significant health-promoting and disease-preventing properties.
• The bioactivity of PCs depends on their journey through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, circulation, and target tissues.
• PCs undergo modifications during absorption, deposition, metabolism, and excretion (ADME), impacting their overall efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the factors influencing the bioavailability of phenolic compounds (PCs).
• To highlight the importance of understanding PC bioavailability for validating health benefits and mechanisms of action.

Main Methods:

• Discussion of PC release from food matrices.
• Analysis of absorption pathways influenced by glycosylation (glycones via active transport, aglycones via passive diffusion).
• Examination of extensive metabolic transformations in enterocytes and the liver.

Main Results:

• PCs are released from food matrices via mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic processes for absorption.
• Enteral absorption involves active transport for glycones and passive diffusion for aglycones.
• Extensive Phase I and II metabolism in the liver and enterocytes leads to excretion via bile, feces, and urine, similar to some medications but with distinct bioactivity.

Conclusions:

• PC bioavailability is a complex interplay of chemical properties, bioaccessibility, and ADME processes.
• Understanding variations in PC bioavailability is crucial for substantiating their health benefits.
• Further research into PC fate within the body is essential for optimizing their therapeutic potential.