Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026
Biosynthesis of a Flavonol from a Flavanone by Establishing a One-pot Bienzymatic Cascade
Published on: August 14, 2019
A systematic review on biological activities of prenylated flavonoids
Xi Chen1, Emmanuel Mukwaya, Man-Sau Wong
1School of Medical Instrument and Food Engineering, Center for Systems Biomedical Sciences, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology , Shanghai 200093 , People's Republic of China .
Context:
Prenylated flavonoids are a unique class of naturally occurring flavonoids that exist especially for the plant's self-defensive strategy. This special class of flavonoids increases the bioactivities of their backbone flavonoids with non-prenylation; therefore, prenylated flavonoids have more potential to be developed and utilized.
Objective:
The number, position and type of the prenyl group on the flavonoids backbone structure may have close relationships with the bioactivities of flavonoids.
Methods:
PubMed and WEB OF KNOWLEDGE® were used to search articles published in English between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2012, which discuss the structure-activity relationship between prenylated flavonoids and their bioactivities.
Results:
It is proposed that the prenyl-moiety makes the backbone compound more lipophilic, which leads to its high affinity with cell membranes. The prenylation brings the flavonoids with enhancement of antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cytotoxicity, larvicidal as well as estrogenic activities. However, it is reported that the prenyl-moiety decreases the bioavailability and plasma absorption of prenylated flavonoids.
Conclusion:
The prenyl group affects the bioactivities of flavonoids in certain ways, while the action mechanisms and the structure-activity relationship as well as more in vivo studies even clinical validation trials need to be further investigated.
Related Concept Videos
02:59Cancer Prevention
Some...
01:17Oxidation of Phenols to Quinones
o-hydroxy phenols are oxidized to o-quinones and p-hydroxy phenols to p-quinones. Such redox reactions involve the transfer of two electrons and two protons. The reversible redox...
01:28Pharmacogenetics of Phase I Enzymes: Cytochrome P450 Isozymes
01:25Bioactivation and Tissue Toxicity
01:20Antiplatelet Drugs: Prostaglandin Synthesis, P2Y12 and Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors
Prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors, exemplified by the widely known aspirin, wield their power by irreversibly acetylating...
01:28Structure-Activity Relationships and Drug Design
SAR studies the intricate relationship between a drug's chemical structure and biological activity. It focuses on understanding how modifications to a drug's structure can influence...