Abstract

PEREZ TRUEBA, Gilberto. Los flavonoides: antioxidantes o prooxidantes. Rev Cubana Invest Bioméd [online]. 2003, vol.22, n.1. ISSN 0864-0300.

Evidences are given on the double role played by flavonoids as antioxidants/prooxidants, as well as on the contribution of the structure to such activities. All this demonstrates that if a diet rich in flavonoids may be beneficial for health, elevated consumptions of these metabolites may have dangerous effects due to their diverse pharmacological properties. An increasing number of articles dealing with clinical and nutritional aspects stress the importance of using antioxidants in diet, taking into account that the combination of vitamins recommended in the whole world do not always have the expected effects, or, otherwise, they are harmful. In this context, the polyphenolic compounds and within them the flavonoids occupy an important place. The mechanisms through which they exert their antioxidant action result from a combination of their chelating properties of transtition metals and sequestrators of free radicals, as well as from the inhibition of oxidases and action on other enzymes. However, these compounds may act as prooxidant agents, a trait probably responsible for the mutagenic and genotoxic effects found also for some of these metabolites in diverse experimental systems.

Keywords : FREE RADICALS [therapeutic use]; ANTIOXIDANTS [therapeutic use]; FLAVONES [toxicity]; FLAVONES [therapeutic use]; DIET THERAPY.

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