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Encyclopedia of Inflammatory Diseases pp 1–17Cite as

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Flavonoids as Anti-inflammatory Agents

Synonyms

Bioflavonoids; Flavonoids; Phenylchromones; Vitamin P

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...

Keywords

  • Shikimic Acid
  • Protocatechuic Acid
  • Soya Isoflavones
  • Prooxidant Effect
  • Chronic Venous Insufficiency

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackeho tr. 1/3, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic

    Jan Hošek

  2. Department of Natural Drugs, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Palackeho tr. 1/3, 612 42, Brno, Czech Republic

    Karel Šmejkal

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  1. Jan Hošek
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  2. Karel Šmejkal
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Correspondence to Jan Hošek .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst of Clinical Pharmacology Haus 74/75, JW Goethe University Frankfurt Fraunhofer IME, Frankfurt, Germany

    Michael Parnham

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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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