Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion (ADME) of Dietary Flavones and Their Glycosides
Date
Authors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
ISSN
DOI
Volume Title
Publisher
Type
Peer reviewed
Abstract
Epidemiological studies have long indicated a possible role for dietary flavonoids, notably flavones and flavonols, in the prevention of a range of degenerative diseases, e.g. cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. The flavonoids are a large and variable group of compounds, comprising thousands of different structures. The bulk of the dietary flavonoids occur as glycosides. The effect of flavonoid aglycones and their corresponding glycosides on cell metabolism and aetiology of degenerative diseases has been a topic of interest for a number of decades. In contrast, the role of the metabolic products of dietary flavonoid that reach all parts of the human body through systemic circulation, has received much less attention. Many detailed ADME studies focus specifically on quercetin and its glycosides, due to their abundant availability. Dietary quercetin occurs almost exclusively as β-glycosides, where the aglycone can be bound to a variety of sugars depending on the food source, e.g. apples are rich in galactosides, rhamnosides, and arabinosides, whereas in onions glucosides are the main glycosidic form. The sugar moiety was shown to be an important determinant of the bioavailability of quercetin from foods. The compounds that directly play a role in the prevention of degenerative diseases are most likely not dietary flavones themselves, but rather their metabolites and conjugation products.