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Review
. 2021 Sep 4;26(17):5377.
doi: 10.3390/molecules26175377.

Plant Flavonoids: Chemical Characteristics and Biological Activity

Maria Celeste Dias  1   2 , Diana C G A Pinto  2 , Artur M S Silva  2
Affiliations
Review

Plant Flavonoids: Chemical Characteristics and Biological Activity

Maria Celeste Dias et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

In recent years, more attention has been paid to natural sources of antioxidants. Flavonoids are natural substances synthesized in several parts of plants that exhibit a high antioxidant capacity. They are a large family, presenting several classes based on their basic structure. Flavonoids have the ability to control the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) via scavenger ROS when they are formed. Therefore, these antioxidant compounds have an important role in plant stress tolerance and a high relevance in human health, mainly due to their anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. In addition, flavonoids have several applications in the food industry as preservatives, pigments, and antioxidants, as well as in other industries such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. However, flavonoids application for industrial purposes implies extraction processes with high purity and quality. Several methodologies have been developed aimed at increasing flavonoid extraction yield and being environmentally friendly. This review presents the most abundant natural flavonoids, their structure and chemical characteristics, extraction methods, and biological activity.

Keywords: antioxidants; bioactive compounds; extraction methods; natural sources; structure.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flavonoid biosynthesis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Examples of representative anthocyanidins and anthocyanins.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Examples of representative flavanones and dihydroflavonols.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Examples of representative isoflavones.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Examples of representative flavones and flavonols.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Flavonoid classes and examples of natural food sources.
Figure 7
Figure 7
(A): The most important ion fragments of flavones and isoflavones. (B): The most important NMR signal nucleus.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Flavonoid classes and some examples of their biological activities.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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