FREE RADICALS AND ANTIOXIDANTS: ANTIOXIDATIVE AND OTHER PROPERTIES OF SWISS CHARD (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. cicla)

Scientific interest around antioxidative activity of plant extracts and natural compounds as well as their benefit to human health has significantly increased during the past few decades. Fruits and vegetables, as very important sources of antioxidants, have also been much studied. Antioxidants can neutralize free radicals and other reactive oxygen and nitrogen species and help preventing oxidative stress and damage to tissues which could result ageing and most chronic diseases (cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, autoimmune etc.). There are many in vitro assays for estimation of antioxidative activity. The assay must be chosen precisely to best represent the overall antioxidant activity of a plant, what is also important when different plants and their antioxidant capacities are compared. In this paper, main oxidants and their interaction with biomolecules, as well as some diet antioxidants and their mechanism of action are briefly described. Chemical composition, nutritional value, antioxidative, antiproliferative, hypoglycemic and other properties of different Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. subsp. cicla) extracts are discussed.