The discovery of biological activity associated with flavonoid contaminants in vitamin C preparations from bell peppers and lemons by Szent-Gyorgyi and his associates opened a floodgate of research into the biological functions of this ubiquitous and diverse group of compounds. Since then, a broad range of physiological and biochemical activities were discovered in living systems including most plants and animals. With the continued discovery, isolation and identification of new natural and synthetic compounds exhibiting biological activities, entire research programs are devoted to wide ranging investigations to nearly every conceivable area, from microbial and plant interaction, growth regulation and development to physiological, genetical, medicinal actions and uses in animals. This volume is based on presentations made at a Symposium, titled Flavonoids in Cell Function, held during the 219'h National Meeting of the American Chemical Society held in San Francisco, California on March 29-30, 2000. The book is not intended to be a comprehensive treatise on flavonoid research, only a sampling of recent results. The papers cover a range of topics discussing various approaches to flavonoid study, starting at plant microbe communication through analytical methods to medicinal and systemic implications of these compounds in animal cells and systems. The organizers would like to express their thanks to Cargill Foods, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry of the American Chemical Society for financial support. A great deal of thanks is also due to the authors without whose cooperation and patience this volume would not be realized.

Flavonoids in the Living System: An Introduction; J.A.Manthey, B.S. Buslig. Flavonoids and Arbucular-Mycorrhizal Fungi; H. Vierheilig, et al the Role of Glycosylation in Flavonol-Induced Pollen Germination; L.P. Taylor, et al. Expression of Genes for Enzymes of the Flavonoid Biosynthetic Pathway in the Early Stages of the Rhizobium-Legume Symbiosis; H.I. McKhann, et al. Prospects for the Metabolic Engineering of Bioactive Flavonoids and Related Phenylpropanoid Compounds; R.A. Dixon, et al. Flavonoid Accumulation in Tissue and Cell Culture; Studies in Citrus and other Plant Species; M.A. Berhow. Flavonoids of the Orange Subfamily Aurantioideae; J.A. Manthey, K. Grohmann. Citrus Flavonoids: A Review of Past Biological Activity Against Disease: Discovery of New Flavonoids from Dancy Tangerine Cold Pressed Peel Oil Solids and Leaves; A. Montanari, et al. Differentiation of Soy Sauce Types by HPLC Profile Pattern Recognition: Isolation of Novel Isoflavones; E. Kinoshita, et al. Induction of Oxidative Stress by Redox Active Flavonoids; W.F. Hodnick, et al. Flavonoids in Foods as in Vitro and in Vivo Antioxidants; J.A. Vinson. 7 Additional Chapters. Index.

The presence of contaminant flavonoids in vitamin C preparations from citrus fruits initially led Szent-Gyorgyi and his collaborators to suggest that a flavonoid compound, with biological activity for the prevention of capillary fragility, was vitamin P. Later re search, although not disproving biological activity, discontinued the use of the vitamin classification for these compounds. However, the ubiquitous distribution of flavonoids in living organisms, and the continued discovery of various activity in biological systems makes these compounds targets of wide ranging investigation. This volume is primarily based on a Symposium on Flavonoids and related com pounds held during the 212th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society held in Orlando, Florida on August 28-29, 1996 under the sponsorship of the Division of Agricul tural and Food Chemistry. While the book is not intended to be a comprehensive volume on flavonoid research, the papers provide various approaches to exploring the biological functions of flavonoids in plants and animals, their chemical modifications for enhanced activity, some analytical techniques, as well as their use in food classification. A signifi cant portion is devoted to medicinal implications of these compounds. The organizers would like to express their appreciation to Tropicana Products, Inc., Bradenton, Florida, Coca-Cola Foods Division, Plymouth, Florida and the American Chemical Society's Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry for financial support. Of course, the book could not be produced without the authors, whose cooperation and pa tience is greatly appreciated.

The discovery of biological activity associated with flavonoid contaminants in vitamin C preparations from bell peppers and lemons by Szent-Gyorgyi and his associates opened a floodgate of research into the biological functions of this ubiquitous and diverse group of compounds. Since then, a broad range of physiological and biochemical activities were discovered in living systems including most plants and animals. With the continued discovery, isolation and identification of new natural and synthetic compounds exhibiting biological activities, entire research programs are devoted to wide ranging investigations to nearly every conceivable area, from microbial and plant interaction, growth regulation and development to physiological, genetical, medicinal actions and uses in animals. This volume is based on presentations made at a Symposium, titled Flavonoids in Cell Function, held during the 219'h National Meeting of the American Chemical Society held in San Francisco, California on March 29-30, 2000. The book is not intended to be a comprehensive treatise on flavonoid research, only a sampling of recent results. The papers cover a range of topics discussing various approaches to flavonoid study, starting at plant microbe communication through analytical methods to medicinal and systemic implications of these compounds in animal cells and systems. The organizers would like to express their thanks to Cargill Foods, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Division of Agricultural and Food Chemistry of the American Chemical Society for financial support. A great deal of thanks is also due to the authors without whose cooperation and patience this volume would not be realized.