Bioflavonoid Flavonoid

Flavonoids and Bioflavonoids 1981 edited by L. Farkas, M. Gabor, F. Kallay and... 

Heimler D., A. Pieroni, M. Tattini, and A. Cimato. Determination of flavonoids, flavonoid glycosides and bioflavonoids in Olea europaea L. leaves. Chromatographia 1992 33(7/ 8) 369-373. 

Glusker, J.P. and Rossi, M., Molecular aspects of chemical carcinogens and bioflavonoids. In Cody, V., Middleton, E., Jr., and Harborne, J.B., eds.. Plant Flavonoids in Biology and Medicine Biochemical, Pharmacological, and Structure-Activity Relationships. New York Alan, R. Liss, 1986, p. 395. 

T. Patonay, M. Rakosi, G. Litkei, T. Mester and R. Bognar in Flavonoids and Bioflavonoids Current Research Trends , Proc. 5th Hungarian Bioflavonoid Symposium, ed. L. Farkas, M. Gabor and F. Kallay Elsevier, Amsterdam,... 

In addition to variations in citrus extracts, there are features of bioflavonoid effects on the mammalian body which may have contributed greatly to the controversy concerning flavonoid action. In 1940 Yosida (13) and in 1955 Rinehart (14) reported effects of hesperidin on rheumatic fever. Yosida determined the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) before and after injecting hesperidin into patients. In 26 sets of determinations the ESR was retarded in 19, unchanged in 3 and accelerated in 4 cases. Rinehart administered hesperidin to 26 patients, 22 showed a decreased ESR, 1 an unchanged and 3 an increased ESR. Hence, by the usual interpretation that an increased ESR indicates pathology, hesperidin in some cases showed beneficial effects, in others no effect and in still others made the disease worse. 

The controversies have long hampered efforts to make effective use of bioflavonoids in nutrition and medicine, but research of recent years has shed considerable light on phenomena underlying inconsistent flavonoid action. Findings in the following areas have made substantial contributions to understanding bioflavonoid action ... 

Bioflavonoids have been discovered to exert an antiadhesive action on blood cells. Erythrocyte adhesion is a general accompaniment of disease and trauma and has rheological implications. Hesperidin or other of the less active fiavonoids administered to a series of patients or added to blood in vitro may show three kinds of activity, inhibit blood cell adhesion in some, no effect in others or accelerate adhesion in still others, i.e., a trimodal action. This characteristic feature of flavonoid action undoubtedly has been interpreted as an inconsistent effect. However, all fiavonoids do not show a trimodal action. Also, there is considerable evidence linking rheological effects of bioflavonoids to their effects on capillary defects and beneficial effects in disease. Thus, the trimodal effects may explain the apparent inconsistent action against the above phenomena. 

It is a diuretic. An extract of the flowers and leaves improves cardiac output and the contractility of the heart muscle. Flavonoids in hawthorn have been shown to increase blood flow in the heart by dilating blood vessels in coronary arteries. Hawthorn has lowered cholesterol in animal studies, probably due to its oligomeric procyanidins (OPC), a type of bioflavonoid similar to that found in the extracts of grape seed and grape skin. 

Many medicinal plants contain chemical compounds called flavonoids. Some evidence suggests that flavonoids, also called bioflavonoids, can have beneficial effects on the body. Flavonoids may be able to help ward off bacteria and viruses and reduce inflammation. They may also be antioxidants, which are molecules that clear the body of harmful chemicals called oxygen free radicals. (Oxygen free radicals are highly reactive molecules that damage cells and have been associated with diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.)... 

Nagy, E., Papay, V., Litkei, G., and Dinya, Z. 1985. Investigation of the chemical constituents, particularly the flavonoid components, of propolis and populi gemma by the GC/MS method. In Flavonoids and Bioflavonoids (L. Farkas, M. Gabor, and F. Kallay, eds), pp. 223-232. Elsevier, New York. 

The bilberry and other plant-derived bioflavonoids have been used for vein problems for many years in Europe. Bilberry and their flavonoids might represent a similar mechanism in their action, or their active constituents might include the OPCs. 

L. Farkas, M. Gibor, F. Kalley and H. Wagner Flavonoids and Bioflavonoids,... 

The polyphenols are a series of phytochemicals synthesized by plants. They include the bioflavonoids anthocyanins, coumestanes, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and stil-benes (Figure 4.1). Each bioflavanoid class is subdivided into other groups, e.g., flavones, flavans, flavanols, flavonols, and flavanones (Figure 4.2). Another class of polyphenol is the oligomeric polyphenols, such as the proanthocyanidins, found in the grape and various berries (black currant, blueberry, etc.). 

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