Biological activity and toxicity of plant nutraceuticals: an overview

Plant nutraceuticals have currently been receiving international attention due to their potentially health-promoting effects when consumed as part of a varied diet, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative properties. These beneficial effects have been attributed to the presence of bioactive compounds naturally occurring in food or produced de novo through metabolic pathways. However, taken into account that nutraceuticals could be concentrated forms of the food or plants, it is probable to find undesirable substances utilized in crop protection, such as pesticides, and other contaminants (e.g. mycotoxins), which could be concentrated during the extraction process. Hence, this review will deepen into the bioactive compounds and health-promoting properties of plant nutraceuticals as well as the challenges related to safety issues because of the increase consumption of these products by population.