Background: Rising tide of chronic nutrition related non-communicable diseases yoked with
extant under nutrition problems makes it imperative to carry out scientific research towards the
discovery of functional foods. Although the emergence of these diseases are believed to be
related to a constellation of dietary, socio-economic and lifestyle related risk factors, central to
the pathogenesis of these diseases (or disease states) are free radicals, oxidative stress, and
inflammatory processes typically accompanied by pain. Therefore, functional whole foods with
physiologically active antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic compounds seem to be the
most promising option to deal with the pathogenesis of existing and emerging chronic diseases
burden of Bangladesh.
Methods: Edible portions of 70 commonly consumed Bangladeshi foods – including one cereal,
five legumes, fourteen vegetables, four tea varieties, five oil seeds, twenty spices, and twenty one
fruits – were evaluated for total phenol content (TPC) by Folin-Ciocalteau assay. To evaluate
functional potentiality, in vitro antioxidant capacity (AC) of selected food items were evaluated
by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assays, in vitro anti-inflammatory
potential by observing the production of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α using J774A.1 cells
stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), in vivo anti-inflammatory potential by measuring
carrageenan induced rat paw edema reduction, and in vivo analgesic potential by acetic acid
induced writhing test in mice.