Flavonoids, derived from traditional Chinese medicines, show roles in the differentiation of neurons: possible targets in developing health food products.

Flavonoids, a family of phenolic compounds, are distributed in a variety of fruits, vegetables, tea, and wine. More importantly, many flavonoids are served as the active ingredients in traditional Chinese herbal medicines, which in general do not have side effects. Several lines of evidence support that flavonoids have impacts on many aspects of human health, including anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, and anti-inflammation. Recently, there is significant attention focused on the neuronal beneficial effects of flavonoids, including the promotion of nervous system development, neuroprotection against neurotoxin stress, as well as the promotion of memory, learning, and cognitive functions. Here, the activities of flavonoids on the development of nervous system are being summarized and discussed. The flavonoids from diverse herbal medicines have significant effects in different developmental stages of nervous systems, including neuronal stem cell differentiation, neurite outgrowth, and neuronal plasticity. These findings imply that flavonoids are potential candidates for the development of health supplements in preventing birth defects and neuronal diseases.