Synonyms
Definition
The flavonoids are a group of plant secondary metabolites biosynthetically derived from shikimic acid and polyketide pathways. They are plant pigments containing benzopyrone substituted with a phenyl ring at position 2 or 3 and possess a wide spectrum of biological activities, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.
Chemical Structures and Properties
The technical term “flavonoid” arises from the basic skeleton of these plant pigments that are derived from benzo-γ-pyrone, structure well known as chromone, modified at position 2 or 3 by the addition of a phenyl ring at position 2 yielding a flavonoid and at position 3 an isoflavonoid (Fig. 1). The biosynthesis of flavonoids is based on the crossing of shikimic acid and acylphloroglucinol metabolic pathways. The three-ring skeleton may be substituted with hydroxyl groups. Substitution of the A ring typically occurs at positions 5 and 7 (a meta...
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References
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Hošek, J., Šmejkal, K. (2015). Flavonoids as Anti-inflammatory Agents. In: Parnham, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Inflammatory Diseases. Birkhäuser, Basel. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-0620-6_19-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-0348-0620-6_19-1
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