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Biflavonoids belong to a subclass of the plant flavonoid family. Distribution of biflavonoids in the plant kingdom is limited to several species. Previously, some pharmacological activities of biflavonoids were described such as inhibition of histamine release from mast cells and inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation, suggesting the anti-inflammatory/antiallergic potential of the biflavonoids. Furthermore, several natural biflavonoids including ochnaflavone and ginkgetin inhibit phospholipase A2. Most importantly, certain biflavonoids exhibit anti-inflammatory activity through the regulation of proinflammatory gene expression in vitro and in vivo. Recently, several synthetic approaches yielded new biflavonoid molecules with anti-inflammatory potential. These molecules also exhibit phospholipase A2 and cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitory activity. Although the bioavailability needs be improved, certain biflavonoids may have potential as new anti-inflammatory agents. This is the first review of biflavonoid pharmacology to date.

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ELISAs and rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are widely used for diagnosing dengue virus (DENV) infection. Using 138 single blood samples, we compared the ability to detect non-structural (NS)-1 antigen and anti-DENV IgM/IgG antibodies among (1) DENV Detect NS1 ELISA, DENV Detect IgM capture ELISA and DENV Detect IgG ELISA (InBios International, Inc.); (2) Anti-Dengue virus IgM Human ELISA and Anti-Dengue virus IgG Human ELISA (Abcam); (3) Dengue virus NS1 ELISA, Anti-Dengue virus ELISA (IgM) and Anti-Dengue virus ELISA (IgG) (Euroimmun); (4) Asan Easy Test Dengue NS1 Ag 100 and Asan Easy Test Dengue IgG/IgM (Asan Pharm); (5) SD BIOLINE Dengue Duo (Standard Diagnostics); and (6) Ichroma Dengue NS1 and Ichroma Dengue IgG/IgM (Boditech Med). For NS1 antigen detection, InBios and Euroimmun showed higher sensitivities (100%) than the RDTs (42.9–64.3%). All tests demonstrated variable sensitivities for IgM (38.1–90.5%) and IgG (65.7–100.0%). InBios and Boditech Med demonstrated higher sensitivity (95.6% and 88.2%, respectively) than the other tests for combined NS1 antigen and IgM antibody. Five NS1 antigen tests had good agreement (92.8–98.6%) without showing positivity for chikungunya. However, all IgG tests demonstrated potential false-positivity with variable ranges. Clinical laboratories should note performance variations across tests and potential cross-reactivity.