Small Changes At The Molecular Level Have A Big Impact On How The Body Uses Flavonoids

British researchers studying dietary molecules produced by plants have found that even very small modifications to flavonoids can have a large effect on bioactivity and the human immune system. Using a newly developed assay system involving human cells, the researchers showed that the way in which a flavonoid scaffold was arranged significantly affected the production of inflammatory mediators stimulated by microbes. The research has important implications for diet and in the development of new pharmaceuticals from plant natural products, the researchers said.