Therapeutic potential of flavonoids in inflammatory bowel disease: A comprehensive review

Abstract

The inflammatory process plays a central role in the development and progression of numerous pathological situations, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular disorders. IBDs involve inflammation of the gastrointestinal area and mainly comprise Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Both pathological situations usually involve recurring or bloody diarrhea, pain, fatigue and weight loss. There is at present no pharmacological cure for CD or UC. However, surgery may be curative for UC patients. The prescribed treatment aims to ameliorate the symptoms and prevent and/or delay new painful episodes. Flavonoid compounds are a large family of hydroxylated polyphenolic molecules abundant in plants, including vegetables and fruits which are the major dietary sources of these compounds for humans, together with wine and tea. Flavonoids are becoming very popular because they have many health-promoting and disease-preventive effects. Most interest has been directed towards the antioxidant activity of flavonoids, evidencing a remarkable free-radical scavenging capacity. However, accumulating evidence suggests that flavonoids have many other biological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticancer, and neuroprotective activities through different mechanisms of action. The present review analyzes the available data about the different types of flavonoids and their potential effectiveness as adjuvant therapy of IBDs.

Food of the gods for the treatment of multiple sclerosis related fatigue?

“…Finally, several studies have explored he effects of epicathenin containing dark chocolate on mitochondrial activity, with intriguing results 6. Although the study of Coe et al is an exploratory trial, it adds further interesting suggestions to the possible positive effects of flavonoid intake on the management of fatigue in patients with MS. A well designed, randomised, controlled, long term study with clinically meaningful endpoints is needed to clarify the potential benefits of flavonoid enriched chocolate to treat MS related fatigue.…”

Enteral Nutrition Supplemented with Transforming Growth Factor-β, Colostrum, Probiotics, and Other Nutritional Compounds in the Treatment of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

“…Most interest has been directed towards the antioxidant activity of flavonoids, evidencing a remarkable free-radical scavenging capacity. Flavonoids have many other biological properties, including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticancer, and neuroprotective activities [102]. Key mechanisms relate to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as their ability to modulate gut microbiota, have been recently described [103].…”

Unusual Secondary Metabolites of the Aerial Parts of Dionysia diapensifolia Bioss. (Primulaceae) and Their Anti-Inflammatory Activity

“…Wang et al showed that 6-hydroxyflavone (21) and its derivatives could potentially inhibit the downstream iNOS expression in kidney mesangial cells [28]. Luteolin (20), a natural flavone known as potent anti-inflammatory agent, found in many plant species, indicated to reduce TNF-α and proinflammatory cytokines expression, including that of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β in RAW264.7 [29]. Apigenin (19) is a multitarget compound with promising anti-inflammatory activity.…”