Recent Advances in Anti-inflammatory Flavonoid Research since 2004

Certain flavonoids possess anti-inflammatory activity. Besides their antioxidative property, the cellular action mechanisms of flavonoids include an inhibition of arachidonate metabolizing enzymes such as cyclooxygenases and lipoxygenases, and a down-regulation of proinflammatory gene expression such as cyclooxygenase-2, inducible nitric oxide synthase and tumor necrosis factor-. In this review, the recent findings of anti-inflammatory flavonoid research since 2004 were summarized. And the cellular mechanisms on signal transduction pathways were also discussed.