There has been increasing interest in the research on flavonoids from plant sources because of their versatile health benefits reported in various epidemiological studies. Since flavonoids are directly associated with human dietary ingredients and health, there is need to evaluate structure and function relationship. The bioavailability, metabolism, and biological activity of flavonoids depend upon the configuration, total number of hydroxyl groups, and substitution of functional groups about their nuclear structure. Fruits and vegetables are the main dietary sources of flavonoids for humans, along with tea and wine. Most recent researches have focused on the health aspects of flavonoids for humans. Many flavonoids are shown to have antioxidative activity, free radical scavenging capacity, coronary heart disease prevention, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities, while some flavonoids exhibit potential antiviral activities. In plant systems, flavonoids help in combating oxidative stress and act as growth regulators. For pharmaceutical purposes cost-effective bulk production of different types of flavonoids has been made possible with the help of microbial biotechnology. This review highlights the structural features of flavonoids, their beneficial roles in human health, and significance in plants as well as their microbial production.

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Chemistry and Biological Activities of Flavonoids: An Overview

Natural products have been a rich source of compounds for drug discovery. However, their use has diminished in the past two decades, in part because of technical barriers to screening natural products in high-throughput assays against molecular targets. Here, we review strategies for natural product screening that harness the recent technical advances that have reduced these barriers. We also assess the use of genomic and metabolomic approaches to augment traditional methods of studying natural products, and highlight recent examples of natural products in antimicrobial drug discovery and as inhibitors of protein-protein interactions. The growing appreciation of functional assays and phenotypic screens may further contribute to a revival of interest in natural products for drug discovery.

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The re-emergence of natural products for drug discovery in the genomics era

https://cyberleninka.org/article/n/132565.pdf

Discovery and resupply of pharmacologically active plant-derived natural products: A review.

Bioactive flavonoids in medicinal plants: Structure, activity and biological fate.

The flavonoid pathway produces a diverse array of plant compounds with functions in UV protection, as antioxidants, pigments, auxin transport regulators, defence compounds against pathogens and during signalling in symbiosis This review highlights some of the known function of flavonoids in the rhizosphere, in particular for the interaction of roots with microorganisms Depending on their structure, flavonoids have been shown to stimulate or inhibit rhizobial nod gene expression, cause chemoattraction of rhizobia towards the root, inhibit root pathogens, stimulate mycorrhizal spore germination and hyphal branching, mediate allelopathic interactions between plants, affect quorum sensing, and chelate soil nutrients Therefore, the manipulation of the flavonoid pathway to synthesize specifically certain products has been suggested as an avenue to improve root‐rhizosphere interactions Possible strategies to alter flavonoid exudation to the rhizosphere are discussed Possible challenges in that endeavour include limited knowledge of the mechanisms that regulate flavonoid transport and exudation, unforeseen effects of altering parts of the flavonoid synthesis pathway on fluxes elsewhere in the pathway, spatial heterogeneity of flavonoid exudation along the root, as well as alteration of flavonoid products by microorganisms in the soil In addition, the overlapping functions of many flavonoids as stimulators of functions in one organism and inhibitors of another suggests caution in attempts to manipulate flavonoid rhizosphere signals

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The role of flavonoids in root–rhizosphere signalling: opportunities and challenges for improving plant–microbe interactions

Over 9,000 flavonoid compounds have been found in various plants, comprising one of the largest families of natural products. Flavonoids are an essential factor in plant interactions with the environment, often serving as the first line of defense against UV irradiation and pathogen attacks. Flavonoids are also major nutritional compounds in foods and beverages, with demonstrated health benefits. Some flavonoids are potent antioxidants, and specific flavonoid compounds are beneficial in many physiological and pharmacological processes. Therefore, engineering of flavonoid biosynthesis in plants or in microorganisms has significant scientific and economical importance. Construction of biosynthetic pathways in heterologous systems offers promising results for large-scale flavonoid production by fermentation or bioconversion. Genomics and metabolomics now offer unprecedented tools for detailed understanding of the engineered transgenic organism and for developing novel technologies to further increase flavonoid production yields. We summarize some of the recent metabolic engineering strategies in plants and microorganisms, with a focus on applications of metabolic flux analysis. We are confident that these engineering approaches will lead to successful industrial flavonoid production in the near future.

Metabolic engineering of flavonoids in plants and microorganisms

The complete proton and carbon NMR spectral assignments of a diterpene glycoside isolated from the commercial extract of the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, 13-[(2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)oxy] entkaur-16-en-19-oic acid-[(2-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl) ester] (1); also known as rebaudioside N, was achieved by the extensive 1D and 2D NMR (1H and 13C, COSY, HMQC, HMBC) as well as mass spectral data. Further, hydrolysis studies were performed on rebaudioside N using acid and enzymatic studies to identify aglycone and sugar residues in its structure.

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NMR Spectral Analysis and Hydrolysis Studies of Rebaudioside N, a Minor Steviol Glycoside of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

From the commercial extract of the leaves of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, a minor steviol glycoside, 13-[(2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl)oxy] ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid-[(2-O-(3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl)-3-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranosyl) ester] (1); also known as rebaudioside O having seven sugar units has been isolated. Its structural characterization has been achieved by the extensive 1D (1H and 13C), and 2D NMR (COSY, HMQC, HMBC) as well as mass spectral data. Further, hydrolysis studies were performed on rebaudioside O using acid and enzymatic methods to identify aglycone and sugar residues in its structure as well as their configurations.

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Steven Chen

Papers

Metabolic engineering of flavonoids in plants and microorganisms

NMR Spectral Analysis and Hydrolysis Studies of Rebaudioside N, a Minor Steviol Glycoside of Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

Isolation, NMR Spectral Analysis and Hydrolysis Studies of a Hepta Pyranosyl Diterpene Glycoside from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni.