Keshav K Saini, N Manav, A K Bhagi and Amit Kumar
ABSTRACT
Flavonoids are naturally occurring polyphenolic compounds which exhibit antioxidant properties. Quercetin is an important member of flavonoids family. It is a common ingredient in numerous food supplements like vegetables specially onion, citrus apples and olive oil. Apart from vegetables and fruits other sources are plant derived beverages like green tea and red wine. Recent studies show that it exerts potential health benefits due to its ability to scavenge various highly reactive free radical species generated during various metabolic activities. Studies claimed that it protects against aging, osteoporosis, pulmonary5 and cardiovascular disease promotes balanced blood pressure and also protects from certain types of cancers. Consequently it stimulated interest in its study to collect scientific evidences for its various health benefits and to examine possible mechanism of its antioxidant activity and toxicological aspects. The aim of this review is to review the studies so far in order to elucidate the possible beneficial health effects of quercetin and to understand the possible mechanism involved in its antioxidant activity.