molecules Review A Review on the Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Pharmacokinetics of Amentoflavone, a Naturally-Occurring Biflavonoid Sheng Yu 1, Hui Yan 1, Li Zhang 1, Mingqiu Shan 1,2,*, Peidong Chen 1, Anwei Ding 1 and Sam Fong Yau Li 2 1 Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Chinese Medicinal Resources Industrialization, College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 138 Xianlin Road, Nanjing 210023, China;
[email protected] (S.Y.);
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[email protected]; Tel.: +86-25-8581-1519; Fax: +86-25-8581-1524 Academic Editor: Thomas J. Schmidt Received: 12 January 2017; Accepted: 14 February 2017; Published: 16 February 2017 Abstract: Amentoflavone (C30H18O10) is a well-known biflavonoid occurring in many natural plants. This polyphenolic compound has been discovered to have some important bioactivities, including anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation, anti-diabetes, and anti-senescence effects on many important reactions in the cardiovascular and central nervous system, etc. Over 120 plants have been found to contain this bioactive component, such as Selaginellaceae, Cupressaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Podocarpaceae, and Calophyllaceae plant families. This review paper aims to profile amentoflavone on its plant sources, natural derivatives, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics, and to highlight some existing issues and perspectives in the future. Keywords: amentoflavone; biflavonoid; natural derivatives; pharmacokinetics; pharmacology; phytochemistry 1. Introduction Amentoflavone (C30H18O10) is a common biflavonoid chemically named as 8-[5-(5,7-dihydroxy- 4-oxo-4H-chromen-2-yl)-2-hydroxyphenyl]-5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one, which naturally occurs in many plants.