Glucuronic Acid from Fermented Beverages: Biochemical Functions in Humans and Its Role in Health Protection

An increasing rate of morbidity in the world is due to widespread chronic degenerative ailments such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. One of the causes of that is toxification of human organism by xenobiotics and insufficient activity of fat-soluble endobiotics. The present article discusses important theoretical aspects of glucuronidation the general concept of detoxication and the biochemical mechanism of glucuronic acid conjugation. The way of obtaining fermented beverages with a high content of glucuronic acid by applying the Kombucha symbiotic cultures originated from various parts of the world is demonstrated. The initial hypothesis on the synthesis of glucuronic acid as a characteristic property of natural associations of bacteria and yeasts has been confirmed. It can be prospective for human health protection and chronic diseases prevention. The use of glucuronic acid-containing microbially fermented products in medicine, and their beneficial biological effects on human health are overviewed.