The discovery of biological activity associated with flavonoid contaminants in vitamin C preparations from bell peppers and lemons by Szent-Gyorgyi and his associates opened a floodgate of research into the biological functions of this ubiquitous and diverse group of compounds. Since then, a broad range of physiological and biochemical activities were discovered in living systems including most plants and animals. With the continued discovery, isolation and identification of new natural and synthetic compounds exhibiting biological activities, entire research programs are devoted to wide...

Science validates mothers' admonitions to drink your orange juice. Since it was discovered in 1936 that citrus flavonoids are crucial to capillary function, flavonoids have been studied particularly for their medicinal properties. These 18 papers offer current perspectives on their biological proper

The discovery of biological activity associated with flavonoid contaminants in vitamin C preparations from bell peppers and lemons by Szent-Gyorgyi and his associates opened a floodgate of research into the biological functions of this ubiquitous and diverse group of compounds. Since then, a broad range of physiological and biochemical activities were discovered in living systems including most plants and animals. With the continued discovery, isolation and identification of new natural and synthetic compounds exhibiting biological activities, entire research programs are devoted to wide...

The presence of contaminant flavonoids in vitamin C preparations from citrus fruits initially led Szent-Gyorgyi and his collaborators to suggest that a flavonoid compound, with biological activity for the prevention of capillary fragility, was vitamin P. Later re- search, although not disproving biological activity, discontinued the use of the vitamin classification for these compounds. However, the ubiquitous distribution of flavonoids in living organisms, and the continued discovery of various activity in biological systems makes these compounds targets of wide ranging investigation. This...