Molecules Webinar | New Trends of Flavonoids in Human Health
31 May 2021, 14:00
Molecules, Flavonoids, Polyphenols, Phytonutrients, Flavanones, Flavones, Flavanols, Isoflavones, Anthocyanins
Webinar Information
8th Molecules Webinar
New Trends of Flavonoids in Human Health
Flavonoids are the most abundant polyphenols in the human diet and are ubiquitously present in nature. More than 4000 types of these compounds have been identified from plant sources. Chemically, these compounds are composed of two benzene rings, commonly denoted as A and B rings, linked through an oxygen-containing pyrene ring, the C ring. According to the different structures that can be found among flavonoids, they can be classified into different subclasses, as flavanones, flavones, flavanols, isoflavones and anthocyanins, based on the C ring oxidation and pattern of substitution.
It has been reported that long-term consumption of a diet rich in flavonoids has a protective role against several diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis, pancreatitis, and chronic inflammatory diseases. However, this assumption and the flavonoids’ broad mechanisms of action need to be clarified.
This webinar will certainly help to provide new insights into the “New Trends of Flavonoids in Human Health” through the presentation of three representative works under this theme. The Special Issue under this same theme "New Trends in Polyphenols and Health", which will be published by the open access journal Molecules, is open for submission, should you have a relevant paper for publication within this subject. More details can be found here.
Dr. Marisa Freitas
Faculty of Pharmacy,
University of Porto,
Porto, Portugal
Date: 31 May 2021
Time: 2:00pm CEST
Webinar ID: 881 2158 3165
Webinar Secretariat: molecules.webinar@mdpi.com
Chair: Dr. Marisa Freitas
The following experts will present and talk:
Dr. Marisa Freitas, University of Porto, Portugal |
Marisa Freitas (MF) completed her PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2010, at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto. Currently, she is an Assistant Researcher at LAQV-REQUIMTE - Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry, working at the Laboratory of Applied Chemistry of FFUP. Her scientific background is supported by 78 publications in international journals, 5 book chapters, 40 oral communications and 100+ poster communications in national and international conferences, with 3 attributed awards. Her h-index is 29, with 2500+ citations (Scopus). MF participated in several projects funded by national and international funds. She collaborates as a reviewer in 20+ journals (Publons—Web of Science Researcher ID AAY-7427-2020) and participates on the Editorial Board for four journals (Molecules, Cells, Oxid Med Cell Longev, Braz J Pharm Sci). |
Prof. Dr. Eliana B. Souto, University of Coimbra, Portugal |
Eliana B. Souto (Souto, E.B.) is affiliated with the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology of the Faculty of Pharmacy (University of Coimbra), and with the Centre of Biological Engineering of Minho University (Braga), both in Portugal. Eliana graduated in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Coimbra (2000). She holds a master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Technology and Pharmacotechniques from the University of Porto (2002), and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Technology, Biopharmaceutics and Biotechnology from the School of Pharmacy of the Free University of Berlin, Germany (2005). Since August 2012, Eliana Souto has held a Habilitation Degree from the University Fernando Pessoa (Porto, Portugal). Her research deals with the design, development and characterization of new drug delivery systems for poorly water-soluble bioactive compounds. Other research interests are the controlled delivery of drugs across biological barriers. Eliana Souto is Associate Editor, member of the Editorial Board, and reviewer of several international scientific journals. She has 7 patents and more than 600 scientific publications in the field of drug delivery. |
Dr. Daniela Ribeiro, University of the Azores, Portugal |
Daniela Ribeiro is an Assistant Professor at the University of the Azores. She has a master’s in Pharmaceutical Sciences (2010) and a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences—specialty of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry (2014), by Faculty of Pharmacy of University of Porto (FFUP). Her research activity is focused on the study of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of polyphenols and carotenoids and she is currently the responsible researcher of a funded scientific project, at Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV) of the Network of Chemistry and Technology (REQUIMTE). Of her scientific work, what stands out is the co-authorship of 5 book chapters, the publication of 48 articles in indexed international journals (h-index of 19, by Scopus) and the presentation of a total of 91 oral and poster communications in national and international scientific meetings, with 3 attributed awards. She is the Editor and reviewer of several indexed international journals. |
Prof. Dr. Gary Williamson, Monash University, Australia |
A highly cited author (Scopus h-index of 98, Google scholar h-index 114), Professor Gary Williamson has extensive experience in international research in academic, institutional and industrial environments. Prior to joining the School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health (SCS) in November 2018, he was Professor and Chair of Functional Food, School of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Leeds, UK, and before that, was Research Group Leader at the Nestle Research Center in Switzerland. His research focuses on the link between dietary components (especially polyphenols) and carbohydrate/energy metabolism. He has made major advances in understanding polyphenol bioavailability, and more recently, has shown that certain polyphenols influence cellular energy metabolism and the appearance of glucose in the blood after a meal—important risk factors for type 2 diabetes. He recently held a prestigious 5-year European Research Council Advanced Grant, “What is the mechanism of the true chronic effect of dietary polyphenols?”, the only one awarded in food and nutrition. Professor Williamson was also the recipient of research funding from BBSRC (UK research council), EU Framework projects, industry, government agencies and Marie Curie international fellowships. He was included, for example, on the list of “The world’s most influential scientific minds” published by Thomson Reuters in 2015, in the “Highly Cited Researchers (h>100) according to their Google Scholar Citations public profiles” (October 2018). Professor Williamson has presented at more than 200 research seminars at international scientific conferences and research centers, and has supervised 45 PhD students, many of whom now hold senior positions. He has been involved in over 30 human intervention studies. |
Program
Speaker/Presentation |
Time in CEST |
Dr. Marisa Freitas Chair Introduction |
2:00 – 2:05 pm |
Prof. Dr. Eliana B. Souto Formulating Flavonoids in Biodegradable Nanoparticles: Design and |
2:05 – 2:30 pm |
Dr. Daniela Ribeiro Flavonoids and Their Styryl Derivatives as Promising Modulators |
2:30 – 2:55 pm |
Prof. Dr. Gary Williamson Effect of Dietary Polyphenols on Insulin Resistance |
2:55 – 3:20 pm |
Q&A Session |
3:20 – 3:40 pm |
Closing of Webinar |
3:40 – 3:45 pm |
Webinar Content
On Monday 31 May 2021, MDPI and the Journal Molecules organized the 8th webinar entitled "New Trends in Flavonoids in Human Health".
The introduction was held by the Chair of the webinar, Dr. Marisa Freitas, from University of Porto, Portugal. Dr. Freitas introduced the context of flavonoids in human health from the first use of medicinal plants, the different flavonoid compounds found in natural products and and their biological properties.
After her presentation, Dr. Daniela Ribeiro, from the University of the Azores in Portugal moved the discussion to different biological effects of flavonoids with her presentation "Flavonoids and Their Styryl Derivatives as Promising Modulators of Pro-Oxidant and Proinflammatory Pathways".
The third presentation was given by Prof. Dr. Gary Williamson from Monash University in Australia. He explained the context and role of flavonoids in diabetes and other pathologies related to insulin resistance, on his presentation entitled "Effect of Dietary Polyphenols on Insulin Resistance".
The presentations were followed by a Q&A and a discussion, moderated by the Chair. Some concluding remarks prepared by Dr. Marisa Freitas can be downloaded here.
The webinar was offered via Zoom and required registration to attend. The full recording can be found here on Sciforum website. In order to stay updated on the next webinars on Molecules, be sure to sign up for our newsletter by clicking on “Subscribe” at the top of the page.
Registration
In order to attend the webinar, please register by clicking on the button below.
This is a FREE webinar. The number of participants to the live session is limited but the recording will be made available on Sciforum shortly afterwards. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized. People can send in their questions by email to molecules.webinar@mdpi.com.
Relevant Special Issues
New Trends in Polyphenols and Health
Guest Editors: Dr. Marisa Freitas, Dr. Daniela Ribeiro, Prof. Dr. Eduarda Fernandes
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2021