Polyphenols are classified as an organic chemical with phenolic units that display an array of biological functions. However, polyphenols have very low bioavailability and stability, which make polyphenols a less bioactive compound. Many researchers have indicated that several factors might affect the efficiency and the metabolism (biotransformation) of various polyphenols, which include the gut microbiota, structure, and physical properties as well as its interactions with other dietary nutrients (macromolecules). Hence, this mini-review covers the two-way interaction between polyphenols and gut microbiota (interplay) and how polyphenols are metabolized (biotransformation) to produce various polyphenolic metabolites. Moreover, the protective effects of numerous polyphenols and their metabolites against various gastrointestinal disorders/diseases including gastritis, gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) like ulcerative colitis (UC), Crohn's disease (CD), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) like celiac disease (CED) are discussed. For this review, the authors chose only a few popular polyphenols (green tea polyphenol, curcumin, resveratrol, quercetin), and a discussion of their proposed mechanism underpinning the gastroprotection was elaborated with a special focus on clinical evidence. Overall, this contribution would help the general population and science community to identify a potent polyphenol with strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, prebiotic, and immunomodulatory properties to combat various gut-related diseases or disorders (complementary therapy) along with modified lifestyle pattern and standard gastroprotective drugs. However, the data from clinical trials are much limited and hence many large-scale clinical trials should be performed (with different form/metabolites and dose) to confirm the gastroprotective activity of the above-mentioned polyphenols and their metabolites before recommendation.
Keywords: biotransformation; curcumin; gastrointestinal diseases; gastroprotective; polyphenols; resveratrol.