Quercetin inhibits hexose transport in a human diploid fibroblast

The flavonol quercetin, a phloretin analog, inhibits transport of 2-deoxyglucose and 3-O-methylglucose in a cultured human diploid fibroblast. This inhibition is related to transport itself and not to the reported effects of flavonoids on membrane-bound ATPases. From concentration-inhibition curves at several pH's we conclude that uncharged (acid) quercetin (pK = 7.65) is the inhibitory form of the molecule (K1 = 10micron). Quercetin, unlike phloretin, is rapidly degraded in 0.1 N NaOH; the degradation products are weakly inhibitory to hexose transport.