Editors: Ashita Sharma, Manish Kumar, Satwinderjeet Kaur, Avinash Kaur Nagpal

Evaluation of Environmental Contaminants and Natural Products: A Human Health Perspective

eBook: US $69 Special Offer (PDF + Printed Copy): US $153
Printed Copy: US $119
Library License: US $276
ISBN: 978-981-14-1095-6 (Print)
ISBN: 978-981-14-1096-3 (Online)
Year of Publication: 2019
DOI: 10.2174/97898114109631190101

Introduction

Unbridled urbanization and development of natural land resources has led to the degradation of our surrounding environment. The air that we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat is at risk of being contaminated with a plethora of chemical pollutants, some of them being potentially carcinogenic. This presents a challenge to human health. This book attempts to address this challenge in two parts which represent two different approaches. The first part of the book summarizes the alarming effects of environmental contaminants. Various studies depicting the direct relationship of environmental contaminants with cancer incidence have been referenced. Scientific studies have established an inverse relation between cancer and ingestion of dietary phytoconstituents (phytochemicals) in the form of fruits, vegetables and botanical herbs. Plant products as dietary supplements can suppress contaminant toxicity by regulating the resulting reactive species and also by assisting their bodily excretion through Phase 1 and Phase 2 enzyme metabolism. The second part of the book, shifts focus to phytoconstituents which, if included in diet, can prevent the harmful effects of pollutants. The text references numerous studies showing the anti-mutagenic, anti-genotoxic and anti-carcinogenic potential of many plant products. The combination of information about contemporary issues of carcinogenic contaminants in the environment coupled with the references to relevant studies in this handbook will enlighten readers studying courses in environmental chemistry, toxicology, botany, and ecology about environmental toxins and help them understand specific dietary measures known to reduce the toxic impact. Researchers in the field of nutrition can also benefit from the information provided.

Contributors

Editor(s):
Ashita Sharma


Manish Kumar


Satwinderjeet Kaur


Avinash Kaur Nagpal




Contributor(s):
Mr. Ajay Kumar
is currently working as Research Scholar in the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
India. He is pursuing his Ph.D. on cancer chemopreventive potential of natural products.


Dr. Anu Kalia
is presently working as an Assistant Professor in Department of Soil Science
College of Agriculture, Punjab Agricultural University
Ludhiana
Punjab
India.


Dr. Anuradha Sharma
is an Associate Professor, Botany Department
Hindu College, University of Delhi
New Delhi.
She works in the area of cell biology.


Dr. Ashita Sharma
has completed Ph.D. from Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
Punjab,
India. Her areas of specialization are genotoxicity studies, heavy metal analysis, environmental monitoring and bioremediation. At present she is working as Assistant Professor at Chandigarh University.


Dr. Avinash Kaur Nagpal
Professor at Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
Punjab,
India. Her areas of specialization are antigenotoxic studies, plant tissue culture, plant databases and environmental monitoring.


Dr. Gurpreet Kaur
is an Assistant Professor, Crop Protection Division, Department of Agriculture
Khalsa College
Amritsar
India. She is working in the field of Mycology and Plant Pathology.


Dr. Harsimran Kaur
is presently working as Assistant Professor in PG department of Agriculture
in Khalsa College
Amritsar
India. She has expertise in the field of plant tissue culture and natural plant products.


Dr. Inderpreet Kaur
is presently working as an Assistant Professor at Department of Chemistry
Centre for Advanced Studies, Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
Punjab,
India. Her areas of specialization are electrochemistry, sensors, surface modified adsorbents, water analysis, heavy metal analysis and environmental monitoring.


Dr. Indranil Chattopadhyay
is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Life Sciences
Central University of Tamil Nadu
India. His areas of research expertise are cancer genetics, genomics and environmental mutagenesis.


Dr. Jatinder Kaur Katnoria
is currently working as an Associate Professor at Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
Punjab,
India. Her areas of specialization are environmental toxicology, heavy metal analysis and environmental monitoring.


Ms. Kritika Pandit
is currently working as Research Scholar in the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
India. She is pursuing her Ph.D. on cancer chemopreventive potential of natural products.


Dr. Madhurama Gangwar
is Senior Microbiologist in the Department of Microbiology
College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University
India.


Ms. Mandeep Kaur
is a Research Scholar in Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
Punjab,
India. Her areas of specialization are genotoxicity evaluation and environmental monitoring.


Dr. Manish Kumar
is currently working as an Assistant professor at Department of Biology
S.D. College Barnala, Punjab
India. His research activities are focused on evaluation of cancer chemopreventive properties viz. antioxidant, antigenotoxic, antimutagenic, COX-2 inhibitory and anticancer activities of medicinal plants.


Dr. Paramjeet Kaur
is currently working as an Assistant Professor in Botany at PG Department of Botany
Khalsa College-Amritsar
India. Her areas of research expertise are genetic toxicology and cancer chemoprevention.


Ms. Priyanjali Bhattacharya
is pursuing Ph.D. from Vellore
Institute of Technology, VIT
Vellore
India. She is currently working on research topic “Mutational Profiling of DNA Repair Genes in Hematologic Malignancies”.


Dr. Rajneet Kour Soodan
is Ph.D. from Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
Punjab,
India. Her areas of specialization are environmental toxicology, plant and animal bioassays, and antioxidative enzyme analysis.


Dr. Renu Bhardwaj
is a Professor in the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
India. Her field of research includes plant stress physiology, plant metabolomics, chemical ecology and ecophysiology, phytoremediation and plant growth regulation.


Ms. Sakshi Sharma
is a Research Scholar in Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
Punjab,
India. Her areas of specialization are botany and environmental monitoring.


Ms. Sandeep Kaur
is currently working as Research Scholar in the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
India. She is pursuing her research on cancer chemopreventive potential of natural products.


Dr. Saroj Arora
is a Professor in the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
India. Her areas of expertise are natural plant products and environmental toxicology.


Dr. Satwinderjeet Kaur
is currently working as a Professor at Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
India. Her areas of expertise are cancer chemoprevention and natural plant products.


Dr. Satyawati Sharma
is a Professor in the Centre for Rural Development and Technology
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas
New Delhi
India. She has a wide area of research including waste management, soil science and agronomy.


Savita
is an Assistant Professor in Botany Department
Hindu College, University of Delhi
New Delh
India. Her areas of expertise are plant tissue culture and plant pathology.


Ms. Sneh Rajput
is currently working as Research Scholar in the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
India.


Yadav Sonal
a Ph.D. Research Scholar in the Centre for Rural Development and Technology
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, Hauz Khas
India.


Ms. Sukhjinder Kaur
is working in the Department of Microbiology
College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University
India.


Dr. Tajinder Kaur
is currently working as Assistant Professor, Crop Protection Division, Department of Agriculture
Khalsa College, Amritsar
India. Her areas of expertise are water quality management and abiotic stress management.


Dr. Trupti Patel
is an Associate Professor at Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in the department of Integrative Biotechnology
School of Bio Sciences and Technology (SBST)
India. She works in the area of cancer genetics, with an emphasis on cancer cytogenetics and molecular diagnostics. She also works on natural products to explore their potential as cancer therapeutic enhancers.


Dr. Vaneet Kumar
is a Research Scholar in Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
Punjab,
India. His areas of specialization are genotoxicity evaluation and environmental toxicology.


Dr. Vanita Chahal
is currently working as an Assistant Professor at Department of Sciences
Kamla Nehru College for Women
Phagwara
Punjab,
India. Her areas of specialization are environmental genotoxicity, soil pollution, heavy metal contamination and multipesticide analysis.


Ms. Varinder Kaur
is currently working as Research Scholar in the Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences
Guru Nanak Dev University
Amritsar
India. She is pursuing her research on cancer chemopreventive potential of natural products.


Mr. Vivek Chopra
is an Assistant Professor in Botany Department
Hindu College, University of Delhi
New Delh
India. His areas of expertise are algal and environmental biotechnology.