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Free Radicals and the Liver pp 77–95Cite as

Structural Principles of Flavonoid Antioxidants

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Abstract

Flavonoids are the most ubiquitous and structurally evolved class of plant phenolic compounds. Based on a few principal structures (see Fig. 1), multitudinous hydroxylation, methoxylation, and glycosylation patterns exist. At present more than 4000 individual substances are known [31]. Plants contain both glycosylated compounds and aglycones [74]. As can be expected from the structural diversity, a variety of biological functions have been attributed to flavonoids: photo reception, light screening, visual attraction, feeding repellance, phytoalexin function, etc. [30]. Antioxidative properties were first suggested when it was discovered that the flavonoid content of food contributes to an extended shelf life and retards spoilage [43]. Owing to the rapid degradation of flavonoids in the digestive tract [28, 43], pharmacological effects in mammals are limited [32, 50]. Only few flavonoid derivatives have so far been shown to be of therapeutic value: rutoside [68], cyanidanol (catechin) [20], silybin [69, 70]; all act predominantly as detoxicants after liver injury.

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Authors
  1. W. Bors
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  2. W. Heller
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  3. C. Michel
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  4. M. Saran
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Liver Research Foundation, Semmelweis University of Medicine, Szentkirályi u. 46, 1088, Budapest, Hungary

    Géza Csomós M.D.

  2. Second Department of Internal Medicine, Semmelweis University of Medicine, Szentkirályi u. 46, 1088, Budapest, Hungary

    János Fehér M.D.

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Bors, W., Heller, W., Michel, C., Saran, M. (1992). Structural Principles of Flavonoid Antioxidants. In: Csomós, G., Fehér, J. (eds) Free Radicals and the Liver. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76874-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-76874-3_8

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