• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.121-135
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• 1999

Effective synthetic antioxidants such as butylated hydroxyanisole(BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene(BHT) have been widely used in the food industry, but they are suspected to be toxic and carcinogenic effects. Therefore, the development of safely available natural antioxidants such as ascorbic acid, ${\alpha}$-tocopherol, ${\beta}$-carotene, flavonoids and selenium is essential. In particular, flavonoids, 2-phenyl-benzo-${\alpha}$-pyrones, are polyphenolic compounds that occur ubiquitously in food of plant origin. flavonoids occur in foods generally as O-glycosides with sugars bound usually at the C\ulcorner position. And variations in their heterocyclic ring gibes rise to flavones, flavonols, flavanones, flavanols, catechins, anthocyanidins, chalcone and isoflavones. Vegetables, fruits, and beverages are the main dietary sources of the flavonols, primarily as quercetin, kaempferol, and myricetin and the corresponding flavones, apigenin and luteolin. These flavonoids have biological activity such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic, antimutagenic, anticarcimogenic antiallergic and antimicrobial activity effects in vitro and in vivo. Flavonoids posses strong antioxidant activities acting as oxygen radicals scavenger, metal chelators and enzyme inhibitor. The antioxidant activity of flavonoids is determined by their molecular structure and more specially, by the position and degree of hydroxylation of the ring structure. All flavonoids with the 3`, 4`-dihydroxy(ortho-dihydroxy) posses marked antioxidant activity. And antioxidant activity increases with the number of hydroxyl groups substituted on the A-and B-rings. There is as yet no certainty about the effect of the presence of a double bond between C\ulcorner and C\ulcorner on the antioxidant activity of flavonoids.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.63-68
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• 2004

From the extracts of Crucianella maritima L. (Rubiaceae), five new anthraquinones namely; 1-hydroxy-2-methyl-6-methoxy anthraquinone, 6-methoxy-2-methyl quinizarin, 6-methyl-anthragallol-2,3-dimethyl ether, 6-methyl-anthragallol-2-methyl ether, and 1-hydroxy-2-carbomethoxyanthraquinone were isolated and identified. In addition, deacetyl asperulosidic acid 6'-glucoside sodium salt, a new iridoid diglucoside, along with twelve known anthraquinones, three flavonols, three sterols, and one triterpene were also isolated and identified for the first time from this plant. Their chemical structures were established by physical, chemical and spectroscopic data, including UV, MS, ID- and 2D-NMR analyses. The antimicrobial, cytotoxic activities and a preliminary clinical trial of the crude extracts and some isolates are also presented. Chemotaxonomical aspects are briefly discussed.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 1996

Flavonoids are widely distributed polyphenol compounds in plant kingdom and known to possess varieties of biological/pharmacological activities in vitro and in vivo. A search for antiinflammatory/immunoregulatory flavonoids as potential therapeutic agents has been continued, since serious side effects of currently used nonsteroidal and steroidal antiinflammatory drugs limit their long term uses for the inflammatory disorders. In this reserch, various flavonids were isolated and tested for their in vivo antiinflammatory activity and in vitro inhibitory activity of lymphocyte proliferation. Using a mouse ear edema assay, it was found that certain flavones/flavonols possess mild antiinflammatory activity and a C-2,3-double bond might be essential. Isoflavones were less active. These flavonoids inhibited in vitro lymphocyte proliferation, relatively specific for T-cell proliferation $(IC_{50}=1-10\;{\mu}M)$ and the inhibition was reversible. We have also tested several biflavonoid derivatives, since we recently found that biflavones were phospholipase $A_2$ inhibitors. It was demonstrated that biflavones such as ochnaflavone and ginkgetin inhibited lymphocyte proliferation induced by both concanavaline A and lipopolysaccharide. The inhibition was irreversible in contrast to that of flavones/flavonols. And antiinflammatory activity of biflavonoids are discussed.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.151-155
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• 2015

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 degrades type IV collagen in the basement membrane and plays crucial roles in several pathological implications, including tumorigenesis and inflammation. In this study, we analyzed the effect of flavonols on MMP-9 expression in phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA)-induced human fibrosarcoma HT-1080 cells. Galangin and kaempferol efficiently decreased MMP-9 secretion, whereas fisetin only weakly decreased its secretion. Galangin and kaempferol did not affect cell viability at concentrations up to $30{\mu}M$. Luciferase reporter assays showed that galangin and kaempferol decrease transcription of MMP-9 mRNA. Moreover, galangin and kaempferol strongly reduce $I{\kappa}B{\alpha}$ phosphorylation and significantly decrease JNK phosphorylation. These results indicate that galangin and kaempferol suppress PMA-induced MMP-9 expression by blocking activation of NF-${\kappa}B$ and AP-1. Therefore, these flavonols could be used as chemopreventive agents to lower the risk of diseases involving MMP-9.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.91-99
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• 2010

The objective of this work was to investigate the influence of ultrasonification on extraction yield and chemical properties of green tea infusion. Changes in total soluble matter(TSM), vitamin C, total phenolic compounds, flavonols, catechins, caffeine, free amino acids contents in green tea infusion(GTI) influenced by ultrasonification at $60^{\circ}C$ of extraction temperature for 1, 5, 30, and 60 min were investigated. The amount of infused TSM increased about 5.3% by ultrasonification for 60min. Vitamin C contents also increased 0.21, 0.16, 0.31 mg/g from 1 to 30 min by ultrasonification. However, vitamin C decreased from 2.47 to 2.22 mg/g at 60min. Total phenol compounds contents increased about 10~13 mg/g on all extraction times by ultrasonification. Flavonols such as, myricetin, quercetin, kaempferol were increased to doubled contents as an influence of ultrasonification. Catechins such as, EGCG, EGC, ECG, EC, (+)-C and caffeine contents showed same tendency as the results of vitamin C. On the other hand, result of free amino acids showed different tendency. All amounts of free amino acids did not increase by ultrasonification. Consequently, content of bioactive compounds such as, vitamin C, total phenolic, flavonols and catechins in green tea infusion were influenced by ultrasonification.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.385-389
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• 2014

Flavonols as a major kind of plant secondary metabolites are known for health-promoting compounds in onions (Allium cepa L.). The objectives of this study are to determine profiles of flavonol glycosides in different 75 onion accessions. A total of five flavonols (quercetin 3,4'-diglucoside, Q34'diG; quercetin 3-glucoside, Q3G; quercetin 4'-glucoside, Q4'G; isorhamnetin 4'-glucoside, I4'G; quercetin, Q) were identified from onion accessions. In positive ion mode using LC-ESI-MS, individual flavonols were confirmed from one and two glycosylation binding with aglycone such as quercetin and isorhamnetin. Total flavonol contents were distributed in white onion (range of 0.18-6.47 mg/g DW) and purple onion accessions (range of 2.39-6.47 mg/g), respectively. The mean of flavonol contents in purple onion (4.41 mg/g) showed 1.4-fold higher than white onion (3.23 mg/g). The Q34'diG and Q4'G were considered as the major compounds of flavonol glycosides in onion accessions.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.150-156
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• 2007

Some flavonoids have spasmolytic activities in various smooth muscles, but structure-activity relationships on their spasmolytic activity and its mechanism are unclear. In this study, effects of flavones (flavone and apigenin) and flavonols (quercetin and rutin) on the rat ileal smooth muscle contraction were studied in vitro and in vitro. In the electric stimulation-induced contraction, all of four flavonoids inhibited concentration-dependently the rat ileal smooth muscle contraction induced by electric stimulation (10 mV, 0.1 cps, 0.1 msec duration), IC$_{50}$ of quercetin, apigenin, flavone and rutin were 0.98${\times}$10$^{-5}$, 1.20${\times}$10$^{-5}$, 1.55${\times}$10$^{-5}$ and 1.85${\times}$10$^{-5}$ M, respectively. Flavonoids at a concentration of 2${\times}$10$^{-5}$ M also significantly inhibited the anaphylactic contraction and decreased concentration-dependently the mast cell degranulation by anaphylactic reaction, IC$_{50}$ of quercetin, apigenin, flavone and rutin were 4.0${\times}$10$^{-5}$, 7.5${\times}$10$^{-5}$, 8.0${\times}$10$^{-5}$ and 9.5${\times}$10$^{-5}$ M, respectively. These results indicated that flavones and flavonols inhibited the rat ileal smooth muscle contraction induced by electric stimulation because of their antagonism against acetylcholine and have spasmolytic activities on anaphylactic contraction which may be due to their mast cell-stabilizing activities. Furthermore, double bond of C$_{2,3}$ in benzene ring of flavonoids may be important in the their antispasmodic activities on the rat ileal smooth muscle contraction induced by electric stimulation and anaphylactic reaction.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.327-330
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• 2003

We analyzed and compared profiles of flavonols extracted from leaves and exocarps of the grape Kyoho by TLC, HPLC and UV spectrophotometry. In the exocarps, quercetin 3-O-glucoside was the main compound while isorhamnetin 3-O-glycoside (I) was present in minor amounts. In leaves, on the other hand, quercetin 3-O-glucoside and quercetin 3-O-glucoside-7-O-glucronide were the major compounds while isorhamnetin 3-O-glycoside (II) and kaempferol 3, 7-O-diglycoside were present in minor amounts.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.18-24
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• 1993

In this inverstigation, the various flavonoid aglycones were evaluated for their inhibitory activities against croton-oil or arachidonic acid induced mouse ear edema by oral or topical administration. The compounds tested were thirteen derivatives of flavan-3-ol(catechin and epicatechin), flavanone (flavanone and naringenin), flavone (flavone, chrysin and apigenin), flavonol(favonol, galangin, quercetin and morin) and isoflavone (biochanin A and 2-carbethoxy-5,7-dihydroxy-4'-methoxyisoflavone), along with hydrocortisone, indomethacin, 4-bormophenacyl bromide, nordihydroguaiaretic acid and phenidone as positive controls. A(isoflavone) were found to show broad inhibitoty activities (14-52%) against croton-oil or arachidonic acid induced ear edema by oral or topical application at the dose of 2 mg/mouse, although they showed less activity than hydrocortisone (26-88%) or indomethacin (36-80%). Flavonoid agtlycones tested showed higher activity when aplied topically than by the oral administration. It was also found that they inhibited arachidonic acid induced edema more profoundly than croton-oil induced edema by topical application. In arachidonic acid induced edema when applied topically, flavone derivatives such as flavone, chrysin and apigenin were revealed to be the good inhibitory agents in addition to flavonols and isoflavones. When quercetin and biochanin. A were selected for evaluating in carrageenan induced rat pleurisy and biochanin both flavonoids showed antiinflammatory activity at the dose of 70 mg/kg by the oral adminis-tration. All of these results revealed that flavonoid aglycones, especially 5,7-dihydroxy-flavonols having hydroxyl group(s) in B-ring and biochanin A (isoflavone) possessed in vivo antiinflammatory activity.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1081-1088
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• 2002

Flavonoids are phytochemicals that occur ubiquitously in plant foods that have been reported to have potential roles in the prevention of cancer, inhibition of platelet aggregation or inflammation. However, there was no accurate data reported on the intake of middle-aged Korean population. The present study was designed to assess dietary intake of flavonoids (including isoflavones) of 304 adults (20-59 yr, male 115, famale 189) living in Daejeon area using semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of 50 food items, including vegetables, soy products, seaweeds, nuts and beans, fruits and beverages. Our self-administered questionnaire contained questions regarding subject's habitual diet and alcohol intake over the previous 3 months. Average daily intake of individual flavonols such as quercetin, kaempferol, myricetin, and flavones such as luteolin, apigenin was 15.7, 8.7, 0.21, 2.07, 0.03 mg/day, respectively. Daily intake of daidzein and genistein, which are the commonly found isoflavones in soy products, were 16.6 and 21.4 mg/day, respectively. Combined intake of flavonoids was 64.3 mg/day. No effect of smoking, drinking and exercise was observed on flavonoids consumption. Food items that has the highest daily intake of each compounds were; quercetin (onion, 9.49 mg/day), kaempferol (strawberry, 1.18 mg/day), myricetin (green tea, 0.81 mg/day), apigenin (lettuce, 0.03 mg/day), luteolin (onion, 0.05 mg/day), daidzein (soybean sprout, 5.99 mg/day), genistein (soybean sprout, 7.02 mg/day). These findings provide valuable information on understanding the dietary flavonoids intake from a typical Korean daily diet, which might help to identify the risks for developing various diseases.