Quercetin is a dietary polyphenolic compound with potentially beneficial effects on health. Claims that quercetin has biological effects are based mainly on in vitro studies with quercetin aglycone. However, quercetin is rapidly metabolized, and we have little knowledge of its availability to tissues. To assess the long-term tissue distribution of quercetin, 2 groups of rats were given a 0.1 or 1% quercetin diet [approximately 50 or 500 mg/kg body weight (wt)] for 11 wk. In addition, a 3-d study was done with pigs fed a diet containing 500 mg quercetin/kg body wt. Tissue concentrations of quercetin and quercetin metabolites were analyzed with an optimized extraction method. Quercetin and quercetin metabolites were widely distributed in rat tissues, with the highest concentrations in lungs (3.98 and 15.3 nmol/g tissue for the 0.1 and 1% quercetin diet, respectively) and the lowest in brain, white fat, and spleen. In the short-term pig study, liver (5.87 nmol/g tissue) and kidney (2.51 nmol/g tissue) contained high concentrations of quercetin and quercetin metabolites, whereas brain, heart, and spleen had low concentrations. These studies have for the first time identified target tissues of quercetin, which may help to understand its mechanisms of action in vivo.

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The regioselectivity of phase II conjugation of flavonoids is expected to be of importance for their biological activity. In the present study, the regioselectivity of phase II biotransformation of the model flavonoids luteolin and quercetin by UDP-glucuronosyltransferases was investigated. Identification of the metabolites formed in microsomal incubations with luteolin or quercetin was done using HPLC, LC-MS, and (1)H NMR. The results obtained demonstrate the major sites for glucuronidation to be the 7-, 3-, 3'-, or 4'-hydroxyl moiety. Using these unequivocal identifications, the regioselectivity of the glucuronidation of luteolin and quercetin by microsomal samples from different origin, i.e., rat and human intestine and liver, as well as by various individual human UDP-glucuronosyltransferase isoenzymes was characterized. The results obtained reveal that regioselectivity is dependent on the model flavonoid of interest, glucuronidation of luteolin and quercetin not following the same pattern, depending on the isoenzyme of UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGT) involved. Human UGT1A1, UGT1A8, and UGT1A9 were shown to be especially active in conjugation of both flavonoids, whereas UGT1A4 and UGT1A10 and the isoenzymes from the UGTB family, UGT2B7 and UGT2B15, were less efficient. Due to the different regioselectivity and activity displayed by the various UDP-glucuronosyltransferases, regioselectivity and rate of flavonoid conjugation varies with species and organ. Qualitative comparison of the regioselectivities of glucuronidation obtained with human intestine and liver microsomes to those obtained with human UGT isoenzymes indicates that, in human liver, especially UGT1A9 and, in intestine, UGT1A1 and UGT1A8 are involved in glucuronidation of quercetin and luteolin. Taking into account the fact that the anti-oxidant action as well as the pro-oxidant toxicity of these catechol-type flavonoids is especially related to their 3',4'-dihydroxyl moiety, it is of interest to note that the human intestine UGT's appear to be especially effective in conjugating this 3',4' catechol unit. This would imply that upon glucuronidation along the transport across the intestinal border, the flavonoids loose a significant part of these biological activities.

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IntroductionArtemisia annua L. (sweet wormwood), a member of the Asteraceae family has been used for many years in the treatment of malaria. The active compound responsible for its pharmacological action is the sesquiterpene lactone endoperoxide artemisinin (Fig. 1). Based on this secondary plant metabolite, several synthetic derivatives such as artemether, arteether, artesunic acid and artelinic acid have been produced, which are effective against multidrug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum strains, the organism responsible for malariaBecause chemical synthesis of artemisinin is an expensive multistep process, the plant remains the only commercial source of the drug. However, this compound is present in the leaves and the flowers in only small amounts ranging from 0.01 % to 0.8 % of dry weight [3]. AbstractAn important group of antimalarial drugs consists of the endoperoxide sesquiterpene lactone artemisinin and its derivatives. Only little is known about the biosynthesis of artemisinin in Artemisia annua L., particularly about the early enzymatic steps between amorpha-4,11-diene and dihydroartemisinic acid. Analyses of the terpenoids from A. annua leaves and gland secretory cells revealed the presence of the oxygenated amorpha-4,11-diene derivatives artemisinic alcohol, dihydroartemisinic alcohol, artemisinic aldehyde, dihydroartemisinic aldehyde and dihydroartemisinic acid. We also demonstrated the presence of a number of biosynthetic enzymes such as the amorpha-4,11-diene synthase and the ± so far unknown ± amorpha-4,11-diene hydroxylase as well as artemisinic alcohol and dihydroartemisinic aldehyde dehydrogenase activities in both leaves and glandular trichomes. From these results, we hypothesise that the early steps in artemisinin biosynthesis involve amorpha-4,11-diene hydroxylation to artemisinic alcohol, followed by oxidation to artemisinic aldehyde, reduction of the C11-C13 double bond to dihydroartemisinic aldehyde and oxidation to dihydroartemisinic acid.