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Neuroinflammation plays an integral role in the progression of neurodegeneration. In this study we investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of different classes of flavonoids (flavanones, flavanols and anthocyanidins) in primary mixed glial cells. We found that the flavanones naringenin and hesperetin and the flavanols (+)-catechin and (-)-epicatechin, but not the anthocyanidins cyanidin and pelargonidin, attenuated LPS/IFN-gamma-induced TNF-alpha production in glial cells. Naringenin also inhibited LPS/IFN-gamma-induced iNOS expression and nitric oxide production in glial cells, thus showing the strongest anti-inflammatory activity among all flavonoids tested. Moreover, naringenin protected against inflammatory-induced neuronal death in a primary neuronal-glial co-culture system. Naringenin also inhibited LPS/IFN-gamma-induced p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation and downstream signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 (STAT-1) in LPS/IFN-gamma stimulated primary mixed glial cells. Taken together, our results suggest that naringenin may produce an anti-inflammatory effect in LPS/IFN-gamma stimulated glial cells that may be due to its interaction with p38 signalling cascades and the STAT-1 transcription factor.

Cranberries are a rich source of (poly)phenols, in particular proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins, flavonols, and phenolic acids. However, little is known about their bioavailability in humans. We investigated the absorption, metabolism, and excretion of cranberry (poly)phenols in plasma and urine of healthy young men after consumption of a cranberry juice (787 mg (poly)phenols). A total of 60 cranberry-derived phenolic metabolites were identified using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis with authentic standards. These included sulfates of pyrogallol, valerolactone, benzoic acids, phenylacetic acids, glucuronides of flavonols, as well as sulfates and glucuronides of cinnamic acids. The most abundant plasma metabolites were small phenolic compounds, in particular hippuric acid, catechol-O-sulfate, 2,3-dihydroxybenzoic acid, phenylacetic acid, isoferulic acid, 4-methylcatechol-O-sulfate, α-hydroxyhippuric acid, ferulic acid 4-O-sulfate, benzoic acid, 4-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid, dihydrocaffeic acid 3-O-sulfate, and vanillic acid-4-O-sulfate. Some benzoic acids, cinnamic acids, and flavonol metabolites appeared in plasma early, at 1–2 h post-consumption. Others such as phenylacetic acids, benzaldehydes, pyrogallols, catechols, hippuric and dihydrocinnamic acid derivatives appear in plasma later (Tmax 4–22 h). The 24 h urinary recovery with respect to the amount of (poly)phenols consumed was 6.2%. Our extensive description of the bioavailability of cranberry (poly)phenols lays important groundwork necessary to start understanding the fate of these compounds in humans.

The neuroprotective effects of flavonoids will ultimately depend on their interaction with both neuronal and glial cells. In this study, we show that the potential neurotoxic effects of quercetin are modified by glial cell interactions. Specifically, quercetin is rapidly conjugated to glutathione within glial cells to yield 2'-glutathionyl-quercetin, which is exported from cells but has significantly reduced neurotoxicity. In addition, quercetin underwent intracellular O-methylation to yield 3'-O-methyl-quercetin and 4'-O-methyl-quercetin, although these were not exported from glia at the same rate as the glutathionyl adduct. The neurotoxic potential of both quercetin and 2'-glutathionyl-quercetin paralleled their ability to modulate the pro-survival Akt/PKB and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signalling pathways. These data were supported by co-culture investigation, where the neurotoxic effects of quercetin were significantly reduced when they were cultured alongside glial cells. We propose that glial cells act to protect neurons against the neurotoxic effects of quercetin and that 2'-glutathionyl-quercetin represents a novel quercetin metabolite.