Prenylated chalcones and flavanones as inducers of quinone reductase in mouse Hepa 1c1c7 cells

The objective of this study was to determine if prenylchalcones (open C-rin g flavonoids) and prenylflavanones from hops and beer are inducers of quino ne reductase (QR) in the mouse hepatoma Hepa 1c1c7 cell line. All the preny lchalcones and prenylflavanones tested were found to induce QR but not CYP1 A1 in this cell Line. In contrast, the synthetic chalcone, chalconaringenin , and the flavanone, naringenin, with no prenyl or geranyl groups, were ine ffective in inducing QR. The hop chalcones, xanthohumol and dehydrocycloxan thohumol hydrate, also induced QR in the Ah-receptor-defective mutant cell line, Hepa 1c1c7 bp(r)c1. Thus, the prenylflavonoids represent a new class of monofunctional inducers of QR. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. Al l rights reserved.