Solanaceous vegetables: A natural source of nutraceuticals and therapeutic agents

Abstract

Solanaceous vegetables possess a wide range of medicinal and pharmaceutical properties, owing to their rich content of bioactive compounds such as alkaloids, antioxidants, vitamins, and phenolics, which contribute to their roles in disease prevention, health promotion, and therapeutic applications. These vegetables are rich source of vitamins A, C, E, thiamine, niacin, pyridoxine, folacin, minerals, dietary fibre and important for human nutrition and preventing malnutrition. In addition to providing a wealth of nutrients, solanaceous vegetables add variety to the diet and increase the attractiveness of food through their colour, texture and taste. Since they are rich in vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, they are called protective foods. Strong antioxidants such as lycopene in tomatoes and peppers and nasunin in eggplant are phytochemicals found in solanaceous vegetables. They may reduce the risk of long-term disease by preventing free radical damage, altering the metabolic activation and detoxification of carcinogens or even affecting processes that change the trajectory of tumour cells. Brinjal contains chlorogenic acid and nasunin, which have anticancer, anti-obesity, and anti-diabetic effects. Tomato contains lycopene, which helps fight infection and prevent cancer. Chilli and capsicum contain phenolics and flavonoids compounds aid to prevent certain malignancies and heart conditions while also boosting immunity. Potatoes come in second to tomatoes in terms of polyphenol content. The concentration of plant polyphenols, which appear to vary depending on the cultivar, has been found to play a role in the treatment and prevention of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and neurological illnesses.