Contribution of Covalent Modification of Food-derived Compounds to Anti-inflammatory Activities

As chronic inflammation is known to lead to serious diseases such as cancer and diabetes, proper control of inflammatory responses is essential for maintenance of health. A wide variety of food-derived low-molecular-weight compounds is known to possess bioactivities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-tumor activity. Long experience has shown that certain foods have health benefits, but the molecular mechanisms by which food-derived low-molecular-weight compounds exert their bioactivity have remained unclear. By focusing on the electrophilic activity of food-derived compounds, we have identified several proteins as target molecules for the anti-inflammatory activity of food-derived low-molecular-weight compounds. Here we review the anti-inflammatory activity of iberin from cabbage and curcumin from turmeric.