Skip to main content

Quercetin...the Queen of Antioxidants!

What is Quercetin?
Quercetin is a plant polyphenol from group of flavonoids, specifically is a flavonol. Its name has been used since 1857, and is derived from quercetum (oak forest). It has a bitter flavor and it's used for supplement, beveraged or foods.

Properties
Quercetin it is well known for its antioxidant activity due to its ability to scavenge free radicals. It consider to be the most potent scavenger of ROS. These properties make quercetin a good lipid peroxidation inhibitor, this type of peroxidation can create deleterious effects throughout the body, such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, quercetin does not only stop the propagation of lipid peroxidation, but also increases glutathione levels.
By scavenging free radicals quercetin can also reduce inflammation, and protect cells suffering oxidative stress.




What is so special about it?
According to Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) three structural features are essential for antioxidant activity in flavonoid compounds:


  • the catechol group (3', 4'-OH) in B ring
  • the C2=C3 double bond in the C-ring, that enables the conjugation of the B-ring to the 4-oxo group
  • the 3-and 5-OH groups together with the 4-oxo group


    • The second strutural feature is the characteristic of flavones and flavonols and all these three are describing the structure of quercetin. 
    That's why quercetin have the optimal configuration for free radical scavenging.

    Basic structure of flavonoid compounds

    Where can you find Quercetin?
    Cappers, lovage leaves, appricot, blueberries, bog whortleberries, celery, cherries, cocoa powder, cranberries, Greek greens pie, onions, serano peppers, spinach, red grapes, tea and others.

     References: Manjinder Singh (2014) ~ Gabriele D'Andrea (2015) ~ wikipedia.com ~ quercetin.com

    Labels

    Labels:

    Comments

    Post a Comment

    Popular posts from this blog

    Penguinone: this is how chemistry community honors Penguins!

    What is it? Penguinone is an organic compound with the molecular formula C10H14O. It's name comes from the fact that it's 2-dimensional molecular structure resembles a penguin. The systematic name of the molecule is 3,4,4,5-tetramethylcyclohexa-2,5-dienone. Properties Density: 0.9±0.1 g/cm3 Boiling Point: 215.0±30.0 °C (at 760 mmHg) Vapour Pressure: 0.2±0.4 mmHg at 25°C Enthalpy of Vaporization: 45.1±3.0 kJ/molFlash Point: 79.1±19.5 °C Index Of Refraction: 1.470 Polarizability: 18.1cm3 H- NMR spectrume of Penguinone References: wikipedia.com ~ chemspider.com ~ nmrdb.org
    Post a Comment
    Read more

    Limonene...a majestic odor in nature!

    What is it? Limonene is a colorless liquid hydrocarbon classified as a cyclic terpene. Where can we find it? It is a major constituent in several citrus oils (orange, lemon, mandarin, lime, and grapefruit). Name Limonene takes its name from the lemon, as the rind of the lemon -like other citrus fruits- contains considerable amounts of this compound, which contributes to their odor. Properties IUPAC name: 1-Methyl-4-(1-methylethenyl)-cyclohexeneMolecular Formula: C10H16 Average mass: 136.234Melting Point: -74.35 °C Boiling Point:176 °C Chiral rotation: 87°-102° Isomerism Carbon number four of the cyclohexene ring is chiral. Limonene therefore has two optical isomers. Chiral centres are labelled as R or S using IUPAC nomenclature. But we can found it as d or l or most commonly with (+) or (-). The two enantiomers have identical chemical properties but different odours. R-Limonene smells like orange and S-Limonene smells like lemon. Enantio...
    1 comment
    Read more

    Mushroom..healing or killing vol1

    What is it? A mushroom (or toadstool) is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground on soil or on its foodsource. Etymology The terms "mushroom" and "toadstool" go back centuries and were never precisely defined, nor was there consensus on application. The toadstool's connection to toads may be direct, in reference to some species of poisonous toad, or may just be a case of phonosemantic matching from the German word. However, delineation between edible and poisonous fungi is not clear-cut, so a "mushroom" may be edible, poisonous, or unpalatable. The term "toadstool" is nowadays used in storytelling when referring to poisonous or suspect mushrooms. Edible Mushrooms Mushrooms are used extensively in cooking, in many cuisines (notably Chinese, Korean, European, and Japanese). Though neither meat nor vegetable, mushrooms are known as the "meat" of the vegetable world. T...
    1 comment
    Read more