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Updated: May 23, 2026

Annotation of Plant Gene Function via Combined Genomics, Metabolomics and Informatics
Published on: June 17, 2012
Pleiotropic-acting nutrients require integrative investigational approaches: the example of flavonoids
1Department of Toxicology, Maastricht University , P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. a.weseler@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Abstract:
Assessment of the health effects of dietary interventions in humans poses a particular challenge to nutritional and clinical scientists. In contrast to drugs possessing a well-defined molecular mechanism of action, food-derived components act in subtle and pleiotropic ways by nature. Moreover, dietary compounds are mainly not intended to cure a disease but to prevent or beneficially affect situations when the physiology gets slightly out of homeostasis. By the example of a recent clinical pilot study, this paper illustrates an endeavor to find new strategies for the detection of health effects of flavonoids in the human vasculature. Integration of a meticulously selected cluster of relevant biomarkers eventually enabled the beneficial vascular health effects of flavonoids to be revealed. A critical appraisal of this approach for the future is provided.
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