Pomegranates: Ancient Roots to Modern Medicine

Hardback  264 pp  ISBN 0849398126      £68.00

To modern scientists, the biochemistry of the pomegranate is as equally fascinating as its storied place in literature and religion. Providing an unprecedented compilation of scientific information, Pomegranates: Ancient Roots to Modern Medicine offers an exploration of the biochemistry, health effects, and cultivation of the pomegranate that is as authoritative as it is unparalleled. Featuring the contributions of a multidisciplinary and international team of prominent researchers, it presents the latest findings on the potential human health benefits of this exceptionally polyphenol-rich fruit.

As the research indicates, the physiological effects of pomegranate juice constituents are remarkable in their preventive potential against two of the major chronic diseases of aging - heart disease and cancer.

Many of the pioneering researchers responsible for initiating our newfound fascination with pomegranates discuss its biochemistry, detailing the location and action of the phytochemicals found in the fruit's flesh, peels and seeds. They present evidence of the pomegranate's impact on heart disease, including its ability to enhance nitric oxide production in endothelial cells. They also reveal the significant antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects attributed to the pomegranate in battling several different types of cancer cells, as well as its ability to retard tumor growth in animals.

Recognizing that the pomegranate is only as valuable as it is available, the editors include a substantial section on commercialization and another on plant growth and improvement. These additions make this text as uniquely essential for botanists and agriculturists as it is for nutritionists, cancer researchers, natural product chemists, botanical supplement producers and consumers, and pharmacognosists seeking to evaluate both the pomegranate's legacy and future as a powerful natural healing agent.

Contents

Biochemistry

• Pomegranate Phytochemicals; Navindra P. Seeram, Yanjun Zhang, Jess D. Reed, Christian G. Krueger, and Jakob Vaya
• Antioxidative Properties of Pomegranate: In Vitro Studies; Mira Rosenblat and Michael Aviram
• Bioavailability of Pomegranate Polyphenols; Francisco A. Tomás-Barberán, Navindra P. Seeram, and Juan Carlos Espín

Health Effects

• Cardiovascular I: Protection against Cardiovascular Diseases; Bianca Fuhrman and Michael Aviram
• Cardiovascular II: Protection Against Stroke; Marva I. Sweeney-Nixon
• Cancer I: Anticancer Potential of Pomegranate; Shishir Shishodia, Lynn Adams, Indra D. Bhatt, and Bharat B. Aggarwal
• Cancer II: Molecular Mechanisms of Chemoprevention of Cancer by Pomegranate; Deeba Syed, Arshi Malik, Naghma Hadi, Caroline Schmitt, Farrukh Afaq, and Hasan Mukhtar
• Cancer III: Pomegranate and Prostate Cancer Chemoprevention; John T. Leppert and Allan J. Pantuck
• Estrogen Studies I: Estrogenic Compounds and Lack of Estrogenic Effects In Vitro; Diane M. Harris, Emily Besselink, and Navindra P. Seeram
• Estrogen Studies II: Absence of Significant Estrogenic Effects in the Postmenopausal Population; Michelle P. Warren, Eliza Ng, Russalind H. Ramos, and Sari Halpert
• Antimicrobial Activities of Pomegranate; G.K. Jayaprakasha, P.S. Negi, and B.S. Jena

Commercialization

• Commercialization of Pomegranates: Fresh Fruit, Beverages, and Botanical Extracts; Navindra P. Seeram, Yanjun Zhang, and David Heber

Plant Growth and Improvement

• Pomegranates: A Botanical Perspective; David W. Still
• Postharvest Biology and Technology of Pomegranates; Adel A. Kader
• Summary; Risa N. Schulman
• Index