In vitro and in vivo evaluation of antioxidant properties of wild-growing plants. A short review

Plants in general (and herbs in particular) possess several compounds with very good antioxidant activity (such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, terpenes, carotenoids, and proanthocyanidins). The natural compounds responsible for the antioxidant activity also have other important biological activities, thus the use of antioxidant natural products is constantly encouraged by the scientific community, as well as by the general desire for healthy and natural food that shifted the industry to the exploration of natural antioxidants as an alternative to the synthetic additives. This review intends to briefly summarize the recent progress regarding the in vitro and in vivo evaluation of natural products antioxidant properties. The antioxidant action of plants and natural compounds, as well as the main drawbacks of the current approach and perspective for future research and the industries that have already introduced in practice natural antioxidants are also briefly discussed.