Phenolic compounds and their antioxidant activity in plants growing under heavy metal stress

Abstract

as a consequence of industrial development, the environment is increasingly polluted with heavy met - als.�Plantspossesshomeostaticmechanismsthatallowthemtokeepcorrectconcentrationsofessential� metalionsincellularcompartmentsandtominimizethedamagingeffectsofanexcessofnonessential� ones. one of their adverse effects on plants is the generation of harmful active oxygen species, leading to oxidativestress.�Besidesthewell-studiedantioxidantsystemsconsistingoflow-molecularantioxidantsand� specific enzymes, recent works have begun to highlight the potential role of flavonoids, phenylopropanoids andphenolicacidsaseffectiveantioxidants.� Duringheavymetalstressphenoliccompoundscanactas� metalchelatorsandontheotherhandphenolicscandirectlyscavengemolecularspeciesofactiveoxygen.�� phenolics, especially flavonoids and phenylopropanoids, are oxidized by peroxidase, and act in h 2 O 2 - scavenging, phenolic/asc/poX system. their antioxidant action resides mainly in their chemical struc -