Redox Activity of Flavonoids: Impact on Human Health, Therapeutics, and Chemical Safety

Abstract

The cost-effectiveness of presently used therapies is a problem in overall redox-based management, which is posing a significant financial burden on communities across the world. As a result, sophisticated treatment models that provide notions of predictive diagnoses followed by targeted preventive therapies adapted to individual patient profiles are gaining global acclaim as being beneficial to patients, the healthcare sector, and society as a whole. In this context, natural flavonoids were considered due to their multifaceted antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects as well as their low toxicity and ease of availability. The aim of this review is to focus on the capacity of flavonoids to modulate the responsiveness of various diseases and ailments associated with redox toxicity. The review will also focus on the flavonoids' pathway-based redox activity and the advancement of redox-based therapies as well as flavonoids' antioxidant characteristics and their influence on human health, therapeutics, and chemical safety. Research findings indicated that flavonoids significantly exhibit various redox-based therapeutic responses against several diseases such as inflammatory, neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and hepatic diseases and various types of cancer by activating the Nrf2/Keap1 transcription system, suppressing the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB)/IκB kinase inflammatory pathway, abrogating the function of the Hsp90/Hsf1 complex, inhibiting the PTEN/PI3K/Akt pathway, and preventing mitochondrial dysfunction. Some flavonoids, especially genistein, apigenin, amentoflavone, baicalein, quercetin, licochalcone A, and biochanin A, play a potential role in redox regulation. Conclusions of this review on the antioxidant aspects of flavonoids highlight the medicinal and folk values of these compounds against oxidative stress and various diseases and ailments. In short, treatment with flavonoids could be a novel therapeutic invention in clinical trials, as we hope.

Assessment of phytochemical screening and antioxidant potential of Heteropogon contortus (L.) whole plant

“…Phytochemicals include various types of chemical compounds like flavonoids, carotenoids, phenols, saponins, glycosides, tannins, alkaloids, steroids, etc. which possess different properties (anti-cancerous, anti-arthritic, antimicrobial and many others) which can be important for mankind [12][13][14][15].…”

Berberine enhances the sensitivity of radiotherapy in ovarian cancer cell line (SKOV-3)

“…From these viewpoints, it is significant to mention that redox balance is necessary to sustain the physiological activity for fitness and the immune system ( Tang et al, 2018 ). Redox activities like phosphorylation and other kinds of cellular processes facilitated by kinases/phosphatases are playing a critical role in cell regulating systems ( Sarkar et al, 2022 ). Of particular importance, RAC (Rho family)-alpha serine/threonine-protein kinase (AKT) is much expressed in ovarian cancers and it is capable of phosphorylating various downstream effectors, such as apoptotic proteins, transcription factors, and other oncogenes, including mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) ( Ponte et al, 2021 ; Y.-H. Wu et al, 2020 ).…”

Analysis of pharmacognostical standardization, antioxidant capacity and separation of phytocompounds from five different vegetable peels using different solvents

“…Recent studies suggest that diseases like gastric cancers and cardiac problems are protected in a better way by including vegetables in our diet. The anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative capacities of the phytochemicals and antioxidants makes them effective for the prevention of cancer and inflammation (Gazdik et al, 2008;Sarkar et al, 2022). The phytochemicals present in vegetable peels can also be utilized as food additives, colouring agents, biopesticides, fragrances, flavours, agrochemicals, and pharmaceuticals (Saha et al, 2012).…”