[1] The 7-O-glycoside of hesperetin, hesperidin, is a naturally occurring flavanone-glycoside, the main flavonoid in grapefruits, lemons, and sweet oranges.

[1][2] Various glycosides of hesperetin are known, including hesperidin (hesperetin-7-O-rutinoside), a water-insoluble flavonoid glycoside with low water solubility,[3] Hesperidin is found in citrus fruits and upon ingestion it releases its aglycone, hesperetin.

[1] Upon digestion in the gastrointestinal tract, hesperetin – as for all flavonoids – is rapidly metabolized in intestinal and liver cells, releasing smaller metabolites into the blood and urine for excretion.

[1] The biological effects of such metabolites in vivo are unknown.

In vitro, hesperetin may affect the slow inactivation phase of inward sodium current channels, and therefore could be used as a template to develop drugs against cardiac arrhythmias.