Flavonóides

Procyanidin B2 (PB2) is a naturally occurring flavonoid widely found in cocoa, red wine and grape juice, PB2 could protect against oxidative stress- and chemical-induced injury in colonic cells by modulating the endogenous cellular defence, PB2 protects against oxidative injury in colonic cells and up-regulate the expression of GSTP1 via a mechanism that involves ERK and p38 MAPK activation and Nrf2 translocation.

Brazilin, isolated from Caesalpinia sappan has been known as a natural red pigment, exhibits the inhibitory effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated NO production in a dose-dependent manner (IC50=24.3 microM), might be associated with the regulation of transcription factors NF-kappaB and AP-1; inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) plays an important role in inflammation and carcinogenesis, suggests that the suppressive effect of iNOS gene expression by brazilin might provide one possible mechanism for its anti-inflammatory and cancer chemopreventive activity.

Didymin is a citrus-derived natural compound that kills p53 wild-type as well as drug-resistant p53-mutant neuroblastoma cells in culture, it induces apoptosis by inhibiting N-Myc and upregulating RKIP in neuroblastoma. Didymin possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammation and anti-cancer properties.

Bavachinin is a novel natural pan-PPAR agonist , it shows stronger activities with PPAR-γ than with PPAR-α and PPAR-β/δ (EC50 = 0.74 μmol/l, 4.00 μmol/l and 8.07 μmol/l in 293T cells, respectively). Bavachinin possesses anti-asthma, anti-angiogenic , anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic properties, it also exhibits glucose-lowering properties without inducing weight gain and hepatotoxicity.