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Abstract
Quercetin and genistein are flavonoids commonly found in fruits and vegetables that may protect against the development of chronic diseases, such as cancer. They protect against cellular damage, through one possible mechanism of inducing the anti-cancer Phase II detoxification enzymes without concurrently stimulating Phase I enzyme activity. The objective of this study was to determine whether quercetin and genistein increase activity of the Phase II enzymes, Glutathione-s-Transferase and Quinone Reductase, in a dose response manner while decreasing or having no effect on the Phase I enzyme, CytochromeP4501A1. Flavonoids were fed to rats, and enzyme activity was measured in various tissues at 14 and 28d. The results demonstrated the ability of both flavonoids to increase Phase II enzyme activity while either decreasing or having no effect on CytochromeP4501A1 activity.