Flavonoid electrochemistry: a review on the electroanalytical applications

Abstract

Abstract: Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds widespread in vegetal kingdom. They present a C-15 skeleton, which is divided into three units A, B and C. Unit C is an oxygen containing heterocyclic, whose oxidation state and saturation level defi ne major subclasses. Units A and B are aromatic rings, in which four major types of substituents, i.e. hydroxyl, methoxyl, prenyl and glycosides, lead to over 8000 different fl avonoids. The great healthy-protecting value of these phytochemical biomarkers has attracted the attention of scientifi c community. Their main biological actions include anticancer and anti-infl ammatory properties, which are strictly linked to antioxidant activities. So that, electroanalysis have been extensively applied on mechanistic studies and also for analytical determinations. This review presents the state of the art regarding the main applications of electroanalysis on the fl avonoid research. The approaches on redox behavior characterization leading to a better understanding of structure antioxidant activity relationships are highlighted.