Vitamin P

Flavonoids / Vitamin P

Vitamin P was the term used once upon time for flavonoid. This term is not in use in now. The flavonoids are plant secondary metabolites. Flavonoids are of immense use in human health. They can modify allergens, viruses, and carcinogens, that is why called biological "response modifiers".

Flavonoids also have anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-cancer, and anti-diarrheal activities.

Why it was in news?

Recently, it was shown that a flavonoid found in green tea inhibits the hepatitis C virus (HVC) from entering the liver. This Flavonoid called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) may offer an antiviral strategy to prevent HCV reinfection following liver transplantation. HCV infection can lead to chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or primary liver cancer. HCV is one of the most common causes of chronic liver disease and a primary indication for liver transplantation, affecting up to 170 million individuals worldwide according to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO).