CHAPTER 3:Anti-inflammatory Activity of Coffee

Oxidative stress and inflammatory injury are responsible for a number of diseases, being strongly associated with neurodegenerative disorders, among others. Caffeinated and decaffeinated coffees act as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents in therapeutic processes or exert preventive roles in different pathological situations. Coffee's therapeutic potential results from its bioactive compounds, mainly caffeine, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, cafestol, kahweol. Together, these compounds have been shown to reduce inflammation, to accelerate wound healing, and to modulate inflammatory and neuropathic pain in animal models. Data obtained from in vitro, in vivo, and human clinical trials have indicated that coffee exhibits protective effects against Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lethal sclerosis. This chapter focuses on selected bioactivities of coffee that have been investigated for their anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects. In addition to bioactivities, possible mechanisms of action are described. Ethno-pharmacological reports related to these bioactivities of coffee are also reviewed.