Flavones

Flavones (from Latin flavus "yellow") are a class of flavonoids based on the backbone of 2-phenylchromen-4-one (2-phenyl-1-benzopyran-4-one) (as shown in the first image of this article).

[1] Following ingestion and metabolism, flavones, other polyphenols, and their metabolites are absorbed poorly in body organs and are rapidly excreted in the urine, indicating mechanisms influencing their presumed absence of metabolic roles in the body.

[6] Phenylalanine ammonia lyase facilitates the deamination of L-phenylalanine to (E)-cinnamate,[6] which is then oxidized by cinnamate 4-hydroxylase to yield p-Coumaric acid.

This rearrangement reaction takes place in several steps: A ring opening to the diketone, B bond rotation with formation of a favorable acetylacetone-like phenyl-ketone interaction and C hydrolysis of two methoxy groups and ring closure.

In one preliminary 2021 study, flavone intake was associated with lower odds of subjective cognitive decline after adjustment for age, total energy intake, major nondietary factors, and specific dietary factors.