How some plant chemicals stop early artery clogging
Flavones mitigate tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced adhesion molecule upregulation in cultured human endothelial cells: role of nuclear factor-kappa B.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Quercetin, often praised as a powerful antioxidant, only partially inhibited adhesion molecule expression—while luteolin and apigenin nearly eliminated it.
Most media promotes quercetin as a top flavonoid for heart health, but here it was outperformed by two less-discussed compounds.
Practical Takeaways
Include luteolin-rich foods (celery, parsley, thyme) and apigenin-rich foods (chamomile tea, oranges) in your diet as part of a heart-healthy pattern.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Quercetin, often praised as a powerful antioxidant, only partially inhibited adhesion molecule expression—while luteolin and apigenin nearly eliminated it.
Most media promotes quercetin as a top flavonoid for heart health, but here it was outperformed by two less-discussed compounds.
Practical Takeaways
Include luteolin-rich foods (celery, parsley, thyme) and apigenin-rich foods (chamomile tea, oranges) in your diet as part of a heart-healthy pattern.
Publication
Journal
The Journal of nutrition
Year
2004
Authors
Jung‐Suk Choi, Yean-Jung Choi, Sung-Hee Park, J. Kang, Young‐Hee Kang
Related Content
Claims (4)
Flavonoids, which are natural compounds in fruits and veggies, help keep your arteries clean by stopping white blood cells from sticking to artery walls and turning bad cholesterol into plaque.
When scientists add a stress signal to blood vessel cells in a dish, those cells start making a sticky protein that can cause inflammation—but two natural plant compounds, luteolin and apigenin, stop this from happening, especially at higher doses.
When cells lining blood vessels get stirred up by a protein called TNF-alpha (which happens during inflammation), two natural plant compounds—luteolin and apigenin—can calm them down by blocking a key internal signal (NF-kappa B) that tells the cells to stick to immune cells. This might help reduce swelling and inflammation.
When scientists add certain plant compounds called luteolin and apigenin to blood vessel cells that are stirred up by an inflammation signal, fewer immune cells stick to them—kind of like stopping sticky notes from clinging. Other similar plant compounds usually don’t help, except for quercetin, which helps a little.