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      Nitrates and Glucosinolates as Strong Determinants of the Nutritional Quality in Rocket Leafy Salads

      review-article
      * ,
      Nutrients
      MDPI
      rocket, glucosinolates, nitrates, antioxidants, cancer

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          Abstract

          Rocket is an important leafy vegetable crop and a good source of antioxidants and anticancer molecules such as glucosinolates and other sulfur compounds. Rocket is also a hyper-accumulator of nitrates which have been considered for long time the main factors that cause gastro-intestinal cancer. In this review, the content of these compounds in rocket tissues and their levels at harvest and during storage are discussed. Moreover, the effect of these compounds in preventing or inducing human diseases is also highlighted. This review provides an update to all the most recent studies carried out on rocket encouraging the consumption of this leafy vegetable to reduce the risk of contracting cancer and other cardiovascular diseases.

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          Most cited references105

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          A critical review of the bioavailability of glucosinolates and related compounds.

          Glucosinolates (GLSs) are relatively inert (Z)-N-hydroximinosulfate esters, possessing a sulfur-linked beta-D-glucopyranose moiety and a variable side chain, found almost exclusively in cruciferous vegetables. Following cell disruption, they are hydrolysed by plant myrosinases, forming a group of chemically reactive and biologically active compounds. There is considerable evidence that these breakdown products, when consumed in the diet, may affect the risk of developing chronic diseases. However, in order for any compound to exert an activity in vivo, it is necessary to reach the site of action in an appropriate form and sufficient concentration. Deleterious and toxic effects may be observed at high concentrations: hence, bioavailability is a key factor defining the physiological, beneficial dose window of GLS hydrolysis products (GLS-HPs). For some GLS-HPs, this window can be rather narrow, and therefore is a critical parameter to be considered. In this review we critically evaluate the present state of knowledge on all factors that affect bioavailability of GLS-HPs. This includes liberation from the plant material, absorption from the digestive system, distribution around the body, metabolism and excretion.
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            The Production of Malignant Primary Hepatic Tumours in the Rat by Feeding Dimethylnitrosamine

            Images Figs. 15-18 Figs. 7-10 Figs. 11-14 Figs. 1-6
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              Novel aspects of dietary nitrate and human health.

              The circulation of nitrogen in nature is a prerequisite for life on earth. In the nitrogen cycle atmospheric nitrogen is fixated by bacteria into forms that can be utilized by plants and mammals. Nitrate and nitrite are obligate intermediates in this cycle, and for more than half a century these anions have interested nutritional scientists, mostly in relation to cancer, because of their ability to form nitrosamines. However, after the discovery of mammalian endogenous nitric oxide (NO) generation and later that its oxidation products nitrate and nitrite can be recycled back to bioactive NO, a novel field of research has emerged that explores a potentially beneficial role of these anions in physiology, nutrition, and therapeutics. In our diet, vegetables are the major source of nitrate that can fuel a nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway. Herein we discuss the nutritional aspects of this pathway and what is presently known about the implications for human health.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Nutrients
                Nutrients
                nutrients
                Nutrients
                MDPI
                2072-6643
                14 April 2014
                April 2014
                : 6
                : 4
                : 1519-1538
                Affiliations
                Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 2, Milano 20133, Italy; E-Mail: antonio.ferrante@ 123456unimi.it
                Author notes
                [* ] Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: marina.cavaiuolo@ 123456unimi.it ; Tel.: +39-02-5031-6589; Fax: +39-02-5031-6575.
                Article
                nutrients-06-01519
                10.3390/nu6041519
                4011049
                24736897
                a40836c1-0143-4c20-afd8-d9f17b13ac53
                © 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

                This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).

                History
                : 10 February 2014
                : 21 March 2014
                : 28 March 2014
                Categories
                Review

                Nutrition & Dietetics
                rocket,glucosinolates,nitrates,antioxidants,cancer
                Nutrition & Dietetics
                rocket, glucosinolates, nitrates, antioxidants, cancer

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