Overview of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of bioflavonoids
Mary Ann Lila
University of Illinois,
1201 S. Dorner Dr.,
1021 Plant Sciences Lab,
Dept Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences,
Urbana, IL 61801
The flavonoids are a category of polyphenolic phytochemicals that are
naturally-occurring and widely available in a wide range of edible
plant foods including fruits, vegetables, nuts, honey, and teas. A
typical daily intake in a healthy diet is 1-2 g. Plants synthesize
flavonoids as a defensive reaction to stress (UV light, extreme
temperatures, etc.), or to help attract pollinators, but for the humans
that consume flavonoid-rich plants, these extranutritional constituents
(a.k.a >bioflavonoids) exert significant preventative,
health-promoting, and therapeutic properties for health maintenance.
The best known and most widely publicized property of flavonoids is the
antioxidant capacity, yet flavonoids can also act as prooxidants,
enzyme inhibitors, antiadhesins, enzyme activators, anti-inflammatory
agents, antiproliferative agents, vasoprotective agents, and more.
These versatile compounds have unfortunately been extremely difficult
to study due to their large, complex structures, ephemeral nature, and
the potentiation effects created when different compounds interact to
exert biological activity. Creative labeling of key flavonoids prior
to feeding may provide a means to do the metabolic tracking and
quantification necessary to making valid recommendations for
consumption.
Key words:
flavonoids polyphenolics antioxidants modus operandi
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