Luteolin is a naturally occurring secondary metabolite belonging to the class of flavones. As many other natural flavonoids, it is often found in combination with glycosides in many fruits, vegetables, and plants, contributing to their biological and pharmacological value. Many preclinical studies report that luteolin present excellent antioxidant, anticancer, antimicrobial, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effects, and as a consequence, various clinical trials have been designed to investigate the therapeutic potential of luteolin in humans. However, luteolin has a very limited bioavailability, which consequently affects its biological properties and efficacy. Several drug delivery strategies have been developed to raise its bioavailability, with nanoformulations and lipid carriers, such as liposomes, being the most intensively explored. Pharmacological potential of luteolin in various disorders has also been underlined, but to some of them, the exact mechanism is still poorly understood. Given the great potential of this natural antioxidant in health, this review is aimed at providing an extensive overview on the in vivo pharmacological action of luteolin and at stressing the main features related to its bioavailability, absorption, and metabolism, while essential steps determine its absolute health benefits and safety profiles. In addition, despite the scarcity of studies on luteolin bioavailability, the different drug delivery formulations developed to increase its bioavailability are also listed here.

中文翻译：

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铺路木犀草素治疗潜力和农业食品制药应用：强调体内药理作用和生物利用度特征

木犀草素是一种天然存在的次级代谢产物，属于黄酮类。与许多其他天然类黄酮一样，它经常与许多水果、蔬菜和植物中的糖苷结合使用，有助于它们的生物学和药理价值。许多临床前研究报告说，木犀草素具有出色的抗氧化、抗癌、抗菌、神经保护、心脏保护、抗病毒和抗炎作用，因此，设计了各种临床试验来研究木犀草素对人类的治疗潜力。然而，木犀草素的生物利用度非常有限，因此会影响其生物学特性和功效。已经开发了几种药物递送策略来提高其生物利用度，使用纳米制剂和脂质载体，如脂质体，是最深入探索的。木犀草素在各种疾病中的药理潜力也得到了强调，但对其中一些人来说，确切的机制仍然知之甚少。鉴于这种天然抗氧化剂在健康方面的巨大潜力，这篇综述旨在提供关于木犀草素的体内药理作用，并强调与其生物利用度、吸收和代谢相关的主要特征，而基本步骤决定了其绝对的健康益处和安全性。此外，尽管对木犀草素生物利用度的研究很少，但此处还列出了为提高其生物利用度而开发的不同药物递送制剂。