Compendium of Inflammatory Diseases

2016 Edition
| Editors: Michael J. Parnham

Flavonoids as Anti-inflammatory Agents

Reference work entry
First Online:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-7643-8550-7_19
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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...
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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing AG 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Department of Molecular Biology and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences BrnoBrnoCzech Republic
  2. 2.Department of Natural Drugs, Faculty of PharmacyUniversity of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences BrnoBrnoCzech Republic