The biological potential of flavones

Flavones are well known for their antioxidant activity, and are unique in that they are present in the majority of fruits and vegetables. The majority of metabolic diseases are speculated to originate from oxidative stress, and it is therefore significant that recent studies have shown the positive effect of flavones on diseases related to oxidative stress. Due to the wide range of biological activities of flavones, their structure-activity relationships have generated interest among medicinal chemists, and this has culminated into the discovery of the clinical anticancer agent flavopiridol 97, as well as several lead molecules in other disease areas. In this review, the roles of flavones in various metabolic and systemic disease models are discussed.