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Review
. 2023 Jun 25;28(13):4982.
doi: 10.3390/molecules28134982.

A Review of Classification, Biosynthesis, Biological Activities and Potential Applications of Flavonoids

Shen Chen  1 , Xiaojing Wang  2 , Yu Cheng  1 , Hongsheng Gao  1 , Xuehao Chen  1
Affiliations
Review

A Review of Classification, Biosynthesis, Biological Activities and Potential Applications of Flavonoids

Shen Chen et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Flavonoids represent the main class of plant secondary metabolites and occur in the tissues and organs of various plant species. In plants, flavonoids are involved in many biological processes and in response to various environmental stresses. The consumption of flavonoids has been known to reduce the risk of many chronic diseases due to their antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties. In the present review, we summarize the classification, distribution, biosynthesis pathways, and regulatory mechanisms of flavonoids. Moreover, we investigated their biological activities and discuss their applications in food processing and cosmetics, as well as their pharmaceutical and medical uses. Current trends in flavonoid research are also briefly described, including the mining of new functional genes and metabolites through omics research and the engineering of flavonoids using nanotechnology. This review provides a reference for basic and applied research on flavonoid compounds.

Keywords: application; biological activity; biosynthesis pathway; classification; flavonoids.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure A1
Figure A1
PRISMA flow chart presenting literature data selection.
Figure A2
Figure A2
The Basic Structure of Flavonoids.
Figure 1
Figure 1
The basic molecular structure of flavonoids, classification, and distribution in various plants.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flavonoid synthesis pathway. CHS (chalcone synthase) can catalyze three molecules of malonyl-CoA and one molecule of p-coumaroyl-CoA to form naringeninchalcone [56]. Malonyl-CoA is an important precursor for the synthesis of natural products, including flavonoids and polyketides [57]. CHI (chalcone isomerase) converted naringenin-chalcone into flavanones [58]. Naringenin, as an important flavonoid skeleton, is catalyzed by FNSI and FNS II (flavone synthase I and flavone synthase II) and IFS (isoflavone synthase) to form flavones and isoflavones, respectively [59]. Furthermore, flavanone-3-hydroxylase (F3H), flavonol 3′-hydroxylase (F3′H), and flavonol 3′5′-hydroxylase (F3′5′H) catalyzed naringenin to generate dihydro-myricetin, dihydro-kaempferol, and dihydro-quercetin, respectively [60]. The FLS (flavonol synthase) converted dihydroflavonols into flavonols (kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin), which was catalyzed by the dihydroflavonol 4-reductase (DFR) to generate leucoanthocyanidins [61], which was catalyzed by leucoanthocyanidin dioxygenase (LDOX) to produce anthocyanidins [62]. Anthocyanidins and leucoanthocyanidins were further converted to proanthocyanidins catalyzed by leucoanthocyanidin reductase (LAR) and anthocyanidin reductase (ANR), respectively [63]. Modification of anthocyanins is responsible for the stabilization of vacuolar anthocyanins, including glycosylation, methylation, and acylation [64].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mechanisms of flavonoid antioxidant activity in vitro. (a) Direct scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS); (b) Activation of antioxidant enzymes; (c) Activation of metal-chelating activity; (d) Increasing α-tocopheryl radical levels; (e) Inhibiting NAPDH oxidases; (f) Mitigation of oxidative stress caused by NO; (g) Increasing uric acid levels; (h) Increasing antioxidant properties of low-molecular-weight antioxidants.
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