Advances in Flavonoid Research: Sources, Biological Activities, and Developmental Prospectives

Abstract

At present, the occurrence of a large number of infectious and non-communicable diseases poses a serious threat to human health as well as to drug development for the treatment of these diseases. One of the most significant challenges is finding new drug candidates that are therapeutically effective and have few or no side effects. In this respect, the active compounds in medicinal plants, especially flavonoids, are potentially useful compounds with a wide range of pharmacological activities. They are naturally present in nature and valuable in the treatment of many infectious and non-communicable diseases. Flavonoids are divided into fourteen categories and are mainly derived from plant extraction, chemical synthesis and structural modification, and biosynthesis. The structural modification of flavonoids is an important way to discover new drugs, but biosynthesis is currently considered the most promising research direction with the potential to revolutionize the new production pipeline in the synthesis of flavonoids. However, relevant problems such as metabolic pathway analyses and cell synthesis protocols for flavonoids need to be addressed on an urgent basis. In the present review, new research techniques for assessing the biological activities of flavonoids and the mechanisms of their biological activities are elucidated and their modes of interaction with other drugs are described. Moreover, novel drug delivery systems, such as nanoparticles, bioparticles, colloidals, etc., are gradually becoming new means of addressing the issues of poor hydrophilicity, lipophilicity, poor chemical stability, and low bioavailability of flavonoids. The present review summarizes the latest research progress on flavonoids, existing problems with their therapeutic efficacy, and how these issues can be solved with the research on flavonoids.

Unveiling the Chemical Composition and Biofunctionality of Hericium spp. Fungi: A Comprehensive Overview

“…Yang et al identified about 102 compounds from the fruiting bodies of H. erinaceus , including organic acids, nucleotides and analogues, amino acids, carbohydrates and derivatives, flavonoids, unsaturated fatty acids, terpenoids, phenolic acids, phenylpropanoid, and steroids [ 29 ]. The authors further suggested that flavonoids which were qualitatively detected in the analysis (luteolin, apigenin, diosmetin, hispidulin, and acacetin) could function as active components in H. erinaceus based on previous studies which demonstrated flavonoids’ pharmacological functions which include neuroprotection, improved learning and memory, anti-inflammatory, and more [ 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Of note, in a study by He et al, two isoflavones were identified and isolated in H. erinaceus mycelium: genistein and daidzein, comprising 15% and 12% of the ethanolic extract, respectively [ 33 ].…”

Antimicrobial, Probiotic, and Immunomodulatory Potential of Cannabis sativa Extract and Delivery Systems

“…Plant families such as Lamiaceae, Rutaceae, Myrtaceae, Asteraceae, and Lauraceae are recognized for their abundant reservoirs of essential oils [45]. Similarly, families including Fabaceae, Rosaceae, Rutaceae, and Asteraceae are known for their richness in flavonoids [46].…”