title: Molecular and physiological actions of quercetin: need for clinical trials to assess its benefits in human disease.
abstract: There is a growing realization that natural products such as phytochemicals can be used in diets or as supplements to prevent or treat human disease. The disciplines of epidemiology, pharmacognosy, and molecular biology have provided evidence that certain dietary constituents decrease blood pressure, influence immune and neuronal function, affect the incidence of cancer, and ameliorate the abnormal properties of cancer cells. Molecular studies have uncovered the interesting feature that most phytochemicals have multiple modes of action. This review focuses on the flavonoid phytochemical quercetin and describes the myriad of conditions in which quercetin affects a number of physiological processes. Despite the compelling information available, including a number of animal studies, translation of these findings into human clinical trials has been slow. The status of current clinical research on quercetin is summarized, and direction for further research is suggested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Miles
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McFarland
authors.forename: Richard M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Niles
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D035843:Biomedical Research; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011794:Quercetin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D011794:Quercetin
keywords: clinical trials; molecular actions; physiological actions; quercetin