The Importance of Hop Prenylflavonids for Human Health
Keywords:
hops, xanthohumol, prenylated flavonoids, phytoestrogens, anticancer effectsAbstract
In recent years, a growing interest in health-promoting effects of hop constituents has been observed. Xanthohumol is a hop prenylated chalcone, which shows a wide range of biological activities such as antioxidant, anticancerogenic, antimicrobial and estrogenic. Most interesting findings obtained with xanthohumol and other prenylated hop flavonoids in preclinical and clinical studies are summarized. The review is primarily focused on the effects on human health. Biosynthesis of prenylated flavonoids in plants and their biotransformations in humans are also mentioned.