ABSTRACT
Nutraceuticals are dietary supplements that have emerged as powerful tools for providing synergistic complementation of therapy for inflammatory diseases that have a huge oxidative stress component. This chapter will explore the underlying laboratory findings and the subsequent recent clinical trials, which were set to evaluate the benefits of nutraceuticals in the treatment of various chronic inflammatory diseases. We first summarize the field of antioxidant research by detailing the molecular mechanisms involved in the generation of reactive species, the cellular and physiological effects of specific free radicals known as reactive oxidative species (ROS), and the types and properties of antioxidants in their role in maintaining ROS homeostasis. We then explore the impact of ROS on inflammatory diseases, laying the rationale for the use of antioxidant nutraceuticals as an adjunctive or alternative therapy for these diseases. Finally, we summarize known instances of antioxidant nutraceutical usage in selected inflammatory disorders, specifically rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, and inflammatory bowel disease.
