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en: Flavonoids in breast milk and their absorption, metabolism, and bioactivity in infants.

en: Flavonoids are present in plant foods such as vegetables and fruits and exhibit various physiological effects, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Ingested flavonoids are absorbed from the intestinal tract and circulated in the blood. Some studies have indicated the presence of flavonoids in breast milk. However, information on their metabolites and concentrations in breast milk and the subsequent transfer to and physiological functions in infants is limited. Therefore, this review presents a compilation of recent findings on the transfer of flavonoids to infants via breast milk and their bioactivities.

en: Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry


ja: Flavonoids in breast milk and their absorption, metabolism, and bioactivity in infants.

ja: Flavonoids are present in plant foods such as vegetables and fruits and exhibit various physiological effects, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Ingested flavonoids are absorbed from the intestinal tract and circulated in the blood. Some studies have indicated the presence of flavonoids in breast milk. However, information on their metabolites and concentrations in breast milk and the subsequent transfer to and physiological functions in infants is limited. Therefore, this review presents a compilation of recent findings on the transfer of flavonoids to infants via breast milk and their bioactivities.

ja: Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry


en: Prenylation enhances the biological activity of dietary flavonoids by altering their bioavailability.

en: Flavonoids are distributed across the plant kingdom and have attracted substantial attention owing to their potential benefits for human health. Several studies have demonstrated that flavonoids prenylation enhances various biological activities, suggesting an attractive tool for developing functional foods. This review provides an overview of the current knowledge on how prenylation influences the biological activity and bioavailability of flavonoids. The enhancement effect of prenylation on the biological activities of dietary flavonoids in mammals was demonstrated by comparing the effect of 8-prenyl naringenin (8PN) with that of parent naringenin in the prevention of disuse muscle atrophy in mice. This enhancement results from higher muscular accumulation of 8PN than naringenin. As to bioavailability, despite the lower absorption of 8-prenyl quercetin (8PQ) compared with quercetin, higher 8PQ accumulation was found in the liver and kidney. These data imply that prenylation interferes with the elimination of flavonoids from tissues.


en: Quercetin and related polyphenols: new insights and implications for their bioactivity and bioavailability.

en: The physiological functions and bioavailability of flavonoids have been widely investigated since their bioactivities were identified about 80 years ago. Quercetin is a typical flavonoid ubiquitously contained in vegetables and fruits with several biological effects demonstrated in vitro and in vivo including antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic activities. After the ingestion of vegetables and fruits, quercetin glycosides are metabolized, absorbed, and circulated as types of conjugates in the blood. Thereafter, quercetin-3-O--D-glucuronide (Q3GA), a major metabolite of quercetin, is distributed throughout the body where it may exert beneficial functions in target tissues. Hydrophilic Q3GA has been found to be deconjugated into hydrophobic quercetin aglycone at injured sites which, in turn, may improve the pathological conditions. This review presents updated information on the biological aspects and mechanisms of action of quercetin and its related polyphenols. In particular, new insights into their beneficial health effects on the brain, blood vessels, muscle, and intestine will be discussed.

en: Food & Function

ja: Food & Function


en: Prenylation modulates the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of dietary flavonoids.

en: Prenylflavonoids are distributed widely in the plant kingdom and have attracted appreciable attention because of their potential benefits for human health. Prenylation may be a promising tool for applying the biological functions of flavonoids to clinical uses. The bioavailability and bioaccumulation of prenylflavonoids have not been clarified, but extensive studies have been accomplished on their biological functions. This review provides current knowledge on the bioavailability of prenylflavonoids, including their absorption and metabolism in the intestine, as well as their bioaccumulation in specific tissues. Despite higher uptake into epithelial cells of the digestive tract, the bioavailability of single-dose prenylflavonoids seems to be lower than that of the parent flavonoids. Efflux from epithelial cells to the blood circulation is likely to be restricted by prenyl groups, resulting in insufficient increase in the plasma concentration. Rodent studies have revealed that prenylation enhances accumulation of naringenin in muscle tissue after long-term feeding; and that prenylation accelerates accumulation of quercetin in liver tissue. Efflux from hepatocytes to blood and enterohepatic circulations may be restricted by prenyl groups, thereby promoting slow excretion of prenylflavonoids from the blood circulation and efficient uptake to tissues. The hepatotoxicity and other deleterious effects, taken together with beneficial effects, should be considered because unexpectedly high accumulation may occur in some tissues after long-term supplementation.

en: Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics

ja: Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics


en: Role of dietary flavonoids in oxidative stress and prevention of muscle atrophy

en: Functional foods for the prevention of disuse muscle atrophy (DMA) are expected to improve the quality of life (QoL) of bedridden people. Ubiquitin ligases targeting muscle protein degradation, atrogin-1 and muscle-specific ring finger protein (MuRF-1), are critical in the degradation of muscle protein, and oxidative stress induced by mitochondrial dysfunction seems to be involved in muscle atrophy. Dietary antioxidants that attenuate the oxidative stress in skeletal muscle are strong candidates as food ingredients for preventing DMA. The antioxidative flavonoid quercetin was found to prevent DMA by attenuating the induction of atrogin-1/MuRF-1 in mice undertaking the tail suspension test. Several studies revealed that dietary quercetin accumulates in skeletal muscle after metabolic conjugation during absorption. There are many arguments that antioxidant activity is essential for dietary flavonoids to exert their preventive effects, but modulation of the IGF-1 signaling pathway is definitively involved in the mechanism of prevention. Nevertheless, dietary flavonoids (including quercetin) may be potential food factors in the prevention of muscle atrophy. Dietary flavonoids are expected to prevent DMA by attenuating oxidative stress derived from mitochondrial dysfunction.

en: The Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine


en: Dietary flavonoids as cancer-preventive and therapeutic biofactors.

en: Flavonoids are present in many plants, and hence, in foods and ingredients derived from them. These polyphenolic compounds have attracted renewed attention as potential anticarcinogens, and the molecular mechanisms of their anticarcinogenic effects and their bioavailability have been extensively explored. In this review, we focus on the major dietary flavonoids; flavones, flavonols, and flavan-3-ols (catechins), and evaluate their roles in cancer prevention. After absorption with or without metabolic conjugation, flavonoids are transported to target organs where they exert their anticarcinogenic activity. The molecular mechanisms of the anticarcinogenic effects of flavonoids include their antagonistic effect on the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), and regulation of phase I and II drug metabolizing enzymes and phase III transporters. Experimental evidence suggests that flavonoids modulate signal transduction pathways at each stage of carcinogenesis. The interactions between flavonoids and biomolecules in vivo must be investigated in detail to identify specific targets. In addition, the potential side effects should be considered when flavonoid supplements are used for cancer prevention. Therefore, the use of flavonoids as chemopreventive agents should be further investigated to establish safe levels of flavonoid intake.

en: Frontiers in Bioscience (Scholar edition)