A traditional Chinese medicine used in modern science

Flavonoids

IntroductionFlavonoids are nearly ubiquitous in plants and are

consumed regularly with the human dietCertain plants and spices containing flavonoids have been

used for thousands of years in traditional Eastern medicineThey are usually subdivided into

flavanols anthocyanidins flavones flavanones chalcones

The flavonoids display

a remarkable array of biochemical and

pharmacological

actions

Direct effect on mitochondrial calcium uniporter

effects of several of the most naturallyabundant flavonoids on mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake in

permeabilizedHeLa cells

Concentration dependence of the activation of mitochondrial Ca2+

uptake by several natural flavonoids

Reversible activation of mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake by kaempferol

in permeabilized cells

Inhibition by Ru360 of themitochondrial Ca2+ uptake induced bykaempferol and SB202190

Effect of the absence of ATP in the activation of mitochondrialCa2+ uptake by genistein or SB202190

attenuate apoptosis andprotein oxidation in neuronal cell

lines

Scavenging effects of flavones on reactive oxygen species generated

by GO

Effect of flavone pretreatment on apoptosis in neuronal cells exposed to oxidative stress

Effect of flavone pretreatment on the Bcl-2- and Bax-protein levels

Effect of flavone pretreatment on the phosphorylation of Bcl-2 and

Bax proteins

Effect of flavone pretreatmenton protein carbonyl formation

Antioxidant Activity

flavonoids,as a dietary antioxidants, possess the potential to scavenge and quench various radicals and ROS

As a antioxidant,flavonoids can function as below

Metal chelator

scavengers of ROS

chain-breaking antioxidants

quenchers of the formation of singlet

oxygen

LOO· + FL-OH LOOH + FL-O·

Effect of flavonoids on lipid peroxidation

suppress lipid peroxidation

Flavonoids

Enzymatic lipid peroxidation

Nonenzymaticlipid peroxidation

Impairment oflipid peroxidation

Cytochome P450

Free radical species

The illustrations above are only parts of the functions of flavonoids,which I think will be connective to my research on brain ischemia and reperfusion.

In addition,the flavonoids also possess anti-inflammatory,antiallergic,hepatoprotective,

antithrombotic, antiviral, and anticarcinogenic activities

Thank you !Thank you ! Lin LinLin Lin

2005.6.10.2005.6.10.