Flavan-4-ol explained

The flavan-4-ols (3-deoxyflavonoids) are flavone-derived alcohols and a family of flavonoids. Flavan-4-ols are colorless precursor compounds that polymerize to form red phlobaphene pigments.^[1] They can be found in the sorghum.^[2] Glycosides (abacopterins A, B, C and D together with triphyllin A and 6,8-dimethyl-7-hydroxy-4‘-methoxyanthocyanidin-5-O-β-d-glucopyranoside) can be isolated from a methanol extract of the rhizomes of Abacopteris penangiana.^[3]

Known flavan-4-ols

• Apiforol
• Luteoforol

Metabolism

Flavanone 4-reductase is an enzyme that uses (2S)-flavan-4-ol and NADP⁺ to produce (2S)-flavanone, NADPH, and H⁺.

Spectral data

These compounds have absorption maxima of 564 nm.^[4]

Notes and References

1. Styles, E. D., & Ceska, O. (1977). The genetic control of flavonoid synthesis in maize. Canadian Journal of Genetics and Cytology, 19(2), 289–302.
2. 10.1021/jf00006a035 . 39 . 6 . Flavan-4-ol concentration in leaf tissues of grain mold susceptible and resistant sorghum plants at different stages of leaf development . 1991 . Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry . 1163–1165 . Jambunathan . Ramamurthi . Kherdekar . Milind S..
3. 10.1021/np050191p . 69 . 2 . Flavan-4-ol Glycosides from the Rhizomes of Abacopteris p enangiana . 2006 . Journal of Natural Products . 265–268 . Zhao . Zhongxiang.
4. 10.1534/genetics.108.097170 . Progressive Loss of DNA Methylation Releases Epigenetic Gene Silencing from a Tandemly Repeated Maize Myb Gene . Genetics . 181 . 81–91 . 2009 . Sekhon . Rajandeep S. . Chopra . Surinder . 2621191 .