Issue 5, 2011

The metabolism and analysis of isoflavones and other dietary polyphenols in foods and biological systems

Abstract

Polyphenols in dietary and botanical matrices are usually present as simple and complex O-glycosides. In fermented dietary materials, the glycosidic moiety is removed and accompanied in some cases by more complex changes to the polyphenol. As for most xenobiotics, polyphenols undergo phase II conjugation in the intestinal wall during their absorption from the gut. In contrast, a few polyphenols, such as puerarin in the kudzu vine, are C-glycosides and are stable in the gut and during absorption, distribution and excretion. Large bowel bacteria reduce polyphenol aglycones, causing opening of the heterocyclic B-ring and ring cleavage. The products are mostly absorbed and enter the bloodstream. Phase I and II metabolism events occur in the intestine and the liver – most polyphenols predominantly circulate as β-glucuronides and sulfate esters with very little as the aglycones, the presumed active forms. In addition, metabolism can occur in non-hepatic tissues and cells including breast tumor cells that have variable amounts of cytochrome P450s, sulfatase and sulfotransferase activities. Inflammatory cells produce chemical oxidants (HOCl, HOBr, ONO2) that will react with polyphenols. The isoflavones daidzein and genistein and the flavonol quercetin form mono- and dichlorinated products in reaction with HOCl. Genistein is converted to 3′-nitrogenistein in the lung tissue of lipopolysaccharide-treated rats. Whereas polyphenols that can be converted to quinones or epoxides react with glutathione (GSH) to form adducts, chlorinated isoflavones do not react with GSH; instead, they are converted to β-glucuronides and are excreted in bile. Analysis of polyphenols and their metabolites is routinely carried out with great sensitivity, specificity and quantification by LC-tandem mass spectrometry. Critical questions about the absorption and tissue uptake of complex polyphenols such as the proanthocyanins can be answered by labeling these polyphenols with 14C-sucrose in plant cell culture and then purifying them for use in animal experiments. The 14C signature is quantified using accelerator mass spectrometry, a technique capable of detecting one 14C atom in 1015carbon atoms. This permits the study of the penetration of the polyphenols into the interstitial fluid, the fluid that is actually in contact with non-vascular cells.

Graphical abstract: The metabolism and analysis of isoflavones and other dietary polyphenols in foods and biological systems

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
14 Feb 2011
Accepted
14 Apr 2011
First published
09 May 2011

Food Funct., 2011,2, 235-244

The metabolism and analysis of isoflavones and other dietary polyphenols in foods and biological systems

S. Barnes, J. Prasain, T. D'Alessandro, A. Arabshahi, N. Botting, M. A. Lila, G. Jackson, E. M. Janle and C. M. Weaver, Food Funct., 2011, 2, 235 DOI: 10.1039/C1FO10025D

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