Flavonoids as Anxiolytics in Animal Tests: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Bibliometrical Analysis
Abstract
Flavonoids are natural secondary metabolites of plants with a basic composition derived from polyphenols that can produce a plethora of different neurophysiological effects, some of which are relevant to anxiety disorders. As such, many flavonoids have been evaluated in behavioral screens in preclinical research on anxiolytics. We sought to map the potential of flavonoids as anxiolytics by bibliometric analysis and a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal tests using these compounds. Bibliometric analysis suggests that the field is highly concentrated on a few research groups mostly located in the Global South, suggesting the need to improve international collaborations. The themes which emerged in the bibliometric analysis are driven by the exploratory steps of pharmacological research, including finding anxio-selective effects and looking for dose-response patterns. This suggests that the field, as a whole, could benefit from more mechanistic and confirmatory research. The systematic review included 38 articles, with a total of k = 183 comparisons, comprising 43 different molecules. The meta-analysis showed strong evidence for an anxiolytic-like effect of flavonoids on animal tests, including assays made in rats, mice, and zebrafish (SMD = -1.457, 95% CI [-1.365 to -0.9264]). Subgroup analysis suggested that this effect is present in acute treatment (SMD = -1.0985 (95% CI: -1.31 to -0.88)), but not after chronic treatment (SMD = -1.96, 95% CI [-4.93; 1.01]). Study…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in animal, not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Quercetin Influences Quorum Sensing in Food Borne Bacteria: In-Vitro and In-Silico Evidence
- Phenolic-protein interactions: insight from in-silico analyses – a review
- In Silico Discovery of Candidate Drugs against Covid-19
- Neuropharmacological Effects of Quercetin: A Literature-Based Review
- In vitro and in silico anti-dengue activity of compounds obtained from Psidium guajava through bioprospecting
- Effect of Quercetin Rich Onion Extracts on Bacterial Quorum Sensing
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.