Bioactive Molecules in Plant Defense

This book presents a broad perspective on saponins as important natural products with a key role in plant defense. The presence of saponins has been reported in several plant species, and many types of saponins have been found to exhibit significant antifungal activities. In addition to their role in plant defense, saponins are of increasing interest for drug research, as they are active ingredients in several traditional medicines and hold potentially valuable pharmacological properties.

This book covers several aspects of antioxidants—mechanisms of action, assays of measuring potency, sources, and even methods of isolation and identification. While it may seem these aspects have been covered in depth in several publications before this, this book intends to be positioned as an update, especially since the area of antioxidant research is as dynamic as ever.