Plants as a source of dietary bioactives: Flavonoids and basis for their health benefits

Abstract

Plants as a source of dietary bioactives: Flavonoids and basis for their health benefits Andrea Galatro a, Agustin Lucini Mas b,c, Melisa Luquet a, Cesar G. Fraga b,c,d, Monica Galleano b,c,* a Instituto de Fisiología Vegetal (INFIVE) CCT CONICET La Plata-Universidad Nacional de La Plata (UNLP), La Plata, Argentina b Fisicoquímica, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina c Instituto de Bioquímica y Medicina Molecular (IBIMOL), UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina d Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis, CA, USA A R T I C L E I N F O Handling Editor: Prof A Angelo Azzi Keywords: Polyphenols Cardiovascular Antioxidants Chronic diseases A B S T R A C T Flavonoids are a group of bioactive compounds widely distributed in edible plants. They have gained special attention given strong scientific evidence supporting their health promoting actions. This review summarizes current knowledge on the biosynthetic pathways of flavonoids in plants, the regulation of those pathways, and the conservation of flavonoids in plant road to becoming a food. Additionally, the main dietary sources of flavonoid, evidence from population and clinical studies, and possible mechanisms involved in the beneficial effects of flavonoids on human health are also discussed.