An insight into the health-promoting effects of taxifolin (dihydroquercetin)

Taxifolin (3,5,7,3,4-pentahydroxy flavanone or dihydroquercetin) is a flavonoid commonly found in onion, milk thistle, French maritime pine bark and Douglas fir bark. It is also used in various commercial preparations like Legalon (TM), Pycnogenol (R), and Venoruton (R). This review focuses on taxifolin's biological activities and related molecular mechanisms. Published literatures were gathered from the scientific databases like PubMed, SciFinder, ScienceDirect, Wiley Online Library, Google Scholar, and Web of Science up to January 2019. Taxifolin showed promising pharmacological activities in the management of inflammation, tumors, microbial infections, oxidative stress, cardiovascular, and liver disorders. The anti-cancer activity was more prominent than other activities evaluated using different in vitro and in vivo models. Further research on the pharmacokinetics, in-depth molecular mechanisms, and safety profile using well-designed randomized clinical studies are suggested to develop a drug for human use.