Flavonoids as anti-inflammatory agents: implications in cancer and cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Chronic inflammation is being shown to be increasingly involved in the onset and development of several pathological disturbances such as arteriosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, neurodegenerative diseases and even cancer. Treatment for chronic inflammatory disorders has not been solved, and there is an urgent need to find new and safe anti-inflammatory compounds. Flavonoids belong to a group of natural substances occurring normally in the diet that exhibit a variety of beneficial effects on health. The anti-inflammatory properties of flavonoids have been studied recently, in order to establish and characterize their potential utility as therapeutic agents in the treatment of inflammatory diseases. Several mechanisms of action have been proposed to explain in vivo flavonoid anti-inflammatory actions, such as antioxidant activity, inhibition of eicosanoid generating enzymes or the modulation of the production of proinflammatory molecules. Recent studies have also shown that some flavonoids are modulators of proinflammatory gene expression, thus leading to the attenuation of the inflammatory response. However, much work remains to be done in order to achieve definitive conclusions about their potential usefulness. This review summarizes the known mechanisms involved in the anti-inflammatory activity of flavonoids and the implications of these effects on the protection against cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Efficacy of nutritional interventions to lower circulating ceramides in young adults: FRUVEDomic pilot study

“…2005; García‐Lafuente et al. 2009). Specifically, the consumption of fruit or vegetables, or the intake of vitamin C and β ‐carotene is inversely associated with pro‐inflammatory markers in adolescents (Holt et al.…”

Phenolic Composition, Antioxidant Capacity and in vitro Cytotoxicity Assessment of Fruit Wines

“…Several mechanisms of action have been identifi ed for the chemopreventive eff ect of polyphenols, including estrogenic/antiestrogenic activity, antiproliferation, induction of cell cycle arrest or apoptosis, prevention of oxidation, induction of antioxidant enzymes, regulation of the host immune system, anti-infl ammatory activity and changes in cellular signalling (7). Likewise, polyphenols act as important antioxidants from the oenological point of view, but they also contribute to the wine colour, fl avour, astringency and bitt erness (8,9).…”

Flavonoids through the eyes of a pharmacologist. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities

“…Следует подчеркнуть, что эффективность данного каскада обеспечивается активностью таких фермен-тов, как фосфолипаза А2, циклооксигеназа (ЦОГ) и липоксигеназа (ЛОГ), которые наряду с NF-κB слу-жат многообещающими мишенями для действия флавоноидов. И действительно, показано, что целый ряд флавоноидов ингибирует указанные ферменты, нарушая образование эйкозаноидов и ослабляя тем самым развитие воспалительной реакции [1, 8,25,36,52]. С другой стороны, установлено, что фактор транскрипции NF-κB таргетирует гены химокинов, ци-токинов, иммунных рецепторов, молекул клеточной адгезии, инициирующие мощный провоспалитель-ный эффект [81].…”