Quercetin

The Basics On Quercetin

What is Quercetin?

A bioflavonoid ingredient from plants, occurring naturally in red wine, tea, onions, kale, tomatoes, berries, and many other fruits and vegetables.

What are other names for Quercetin?

2-(3,4-DIHYDROXYPHENYL)-3,5,7-TRIHYDROXY 4H-1-BENZOPYRAN-4-ONE, 3,3′,4′,5,7-PENTAHYDROXYFLAVONE, 4H-1-BENZOPYRAN-4-ONE, 2-(3,4-DIHYDROXYPHENYL)-3,5,7-TRIHYDROXY, 4H1BENZOPYRAN4ONE, 2(3,4DIHYDROXYPHENYL)3,5,7TRIHYDROXY, QUERCETIN, and QUERCETOL

What is Quercetin used for?

Quercetin is a commonly occurring natural ingredient in the human body and skin with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but it’s not a common ingredient in skincare product formulations. Some skincare oils, like shea butter, contain high concentrations of quercetin.

How Quercetin is classified

Antioxidants, Plant Extracts

Recommendations for using Quercetin during pregnancy and breastfeeding

Limited data suggests no known risk

 

Quercetin During Pregnancy

What we know about using Quercetin while pregnant or breastfeeding

Limited information available.

Animal HYPERICUM PERFORATUM EXTRACT There were no reproductive or developmental effects observed in a two-generational study of H. perforatum extract using CD-1 mice (n = 20).31 The female mice were administered H. perforatum (180 mg/kg in feed) for 2 weeks prior to mating through gestation. Males were not treated. Body weight, body length, and head circumference (measurements taken from postnatal day 3 through adulthood) increases were similar between the two groups of offspring, regardless of gender. No differences in reaching physical milestones (i.e., teeth eruptions, eye opening, external genitalia) were noted between the two groups. Reproductive capability, perinatal outcomes, and growth and development of the second-generation offspring were unaffected by parental exposure to H. perforatum extract. There were no clinical signs of maternal or developmental toxicity when pregnant Wistar rats (n = 15) were orally administered H. perforatum extract (36 mg/kg/d in saline; 0.4% hypericin) during gestation days 9 ‚Äì 15.32 Maternal toxicity was evaluated through: water and food intake, body weight gain, piloerection, locomotor activity, diarrhea and mortality. Animals were killed on day 21 of gestation and necropsied. The indices of implantation and resorption were calculated. Examination of the liver, kidney, heart, lungs, brain, and small intestine of the pups of Wistar rats (n = 6) orally treated with H. perforatum extract (methanol extraction solution containing 0.3% hypericin; 0, 100, 1000 mg/kg/d) showed severe damage to the liver and kidneys of animals killed postnatally on days 0 and 21.33 Three dams were treated starting 2 weeks prior to mating through 21 days of lactating. The other three were treated from delivery through 21 days of lactation. Maternal body weights, gestation time, number of live pups, and weight of pups at birth were similar between groups. The livers of newborn pups of dams in the low dose group treated before and during pregnancy showed focal hepatocyte damage was apparent, with vacuolization of cells. In the high dose group, these lesions were much more evident, with hepatocyte hyaline degeneration, lobular fibrosis, and disorganization of hepatocyte arrays. In the low dose group, the kidneys showed a decrease in glomerular size with decrease of Bowman’s space and hyaline tubular degeneration and in the high dose group, these lesions were more severe. The same lesions, but much more diffuse and serious, were observed in pups killed after 21 days of lactating from dams that were exposed to the test material throughout pregnancy and lactation. The same lesions were evident also in pups that were exposed to the substance only through nursing. There were no effects on maternal weight gain or gestation length nor any effect on offspring body weights (up to postnatal day 56) observed behavior, or whole and regional brain weights in Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 35) fed diets containing H. perforatum extract (0, 180, 900, 1800, 4500 ppm; 0, 0.18, 0.90, 1.80, 4.50 g/kg; 0.3% hypericin) from gestation day 3 to postnatal day 21.34 Offspring body weights in the treated groups were lower than controls at post natal days 56 (180, 900, 1800 ppm groups) and 78 (180, 1800 ppm groups). Offspring were tested using the open field test, acoustic startle response test, complex maze test, Morris water maze test, and the elevated plus maze activity test. 6 There were no behavioral effects to the offspring of CD-1 mice (n = 45) orally administered H. perforatum extract (0.75 mg/g/d in feed; 0.3% hypericin) for 2 weeks before and through gestation.31 There were also no effects on reproductive behavior or success in the next three generations of offspring. In the male pups, the treatment group weighed less than the controls. The offspring were tested with homing, locomotor activity, exploratory, forced swim, and anxiety tests. HYPERICUM PERFORATUM FLOWER EXTRACT In an in vitro study, the contractility of the vas deferens of Wistar rats exposed to the hydromethanolic extract of the flowering tops of H. perforatum (1 ‚Äì 300 Œºg/mL; 0.3% hypericin) and hyperforin (10-8 ‚Äì 10-4 M was inhibited in a concentration dependent manner.35 Stimulation for the contractions was through electrical field stimulation or exposure to Œ±,Œ≤-methylene ATP. Hypericin, quercitrin rutin, and kaempferol did not inhibit phenylephrine induced contractions. HYPERICIN Sprague-Dawley rat embryos explanted into a culture of hypericin (0 ‚Äì 142 ng/mL) for 2 days exhibited morphological changes when compared to controls starting at 71.0 ng/mL. 36 Embryos were explanted at gestational day 9.5 and were examined on day 11.5. The embryos exposed to high concentrations of hypericin (71.0 and 142.0 ng/mL) had lower total morphological score and number of somites compared with the control group. There was a negative linear trend in total morphological score, yolk sac diameter, and number of somites, indicating a progressive reduction in these parameters with increasing concentration of hypericin. There were no differences detected in crown-rump length. There were no adverse effects up 28.4 ng/mL. Human The frequency of live births and premature births of women in Canada who were taking St. John’s wort (H. perforatum; n = 54; average age = 32.6 ¬± 5.3) during their pregnancy were similar to those with no exposure (n = 108; average age = 32.5 ¬± 4.9).37 Women were interviewed during pregnancy and followed for 5 ‚Äì 7 years after birth. H. perforatum was consumed by 76% of the pregnant women during the first trimester, 5.5% during the first and second trimester, 7.3% during the entire pregnancy, and 9.1% during some combination of the second and third trimester. Their average daily dose as reported by the subjects was 615 mg among those using tablets. The dose could not be estimated for a few of the subjects because they took H. perforatum in the form of teas (3), tincture (1) or granules (1). There were no differences in milk production, maternal adverse events, and infant weight over the first year of life observed when breastfeeding women (n = 33) were orally administered H. perforatum extract (704.9 ¬± 463.6 mg/day, no further characterization) compared to disease-matched controls (n = 101) and age- and parity-matched non-disease controls (n = 33).38 In 36 samples of breast milk from mothers (n = 5) who were taking H. perforatum extract (300 mg 3/d), hyperforin was present in the milk at 0.9% – 2.5%.21 The plasma from two of the infants contained low levels of hyperforin (0.1 ng/mL). No side effects were seen in the mothers or infants. The authors conclude that these results add to the evidence of the relative safety of St. John’s wort while breast-feeding. Hyperforin was detected in the breast milk of a mother took three Hypericum extract pills (3 x 300 mg/d; 0.12% – 0.28% hypericum, ~4.5% hyperforin).22 No clinical effects were observed in the mother and infant. HYPERICUM PERFORATUM FLOWER EXTRACT The above contractility experiment was repeated with segments (3 to 4 cm) of the epididymal part of the vas deferens taken from subjects (n = 15) who underwent prostatectomy (9 who were 60 to 72 years old) or orchiectomy (3 who were 28 to 35 years old). H. perforatum flower extract and hyperforin inhibited contractions stimulated by phenylephrine (3 x 10-6 M).35 The IC50s were 13.9 ¬± 2.0 and 0.45 ¬± 0.04 ŒºM, respectively.

General safety info about Quercetin from CIR

One common name for this plant is St. John’s wort. These ingredients function in cosmetics as skin-conditioning agents miscellaneous and antimicrobial agents. The Panel reviewed relevant animal and human data related to the Hypericum perforatum-derived ingredients. Because formulators may use more than one botanical ingredient in a formulation, caution was urged to avoid levels of toxicological concern for constituent chemicals and impurities. The Panel concluded that hypericum perforatum-derived ingredients were safe as cosmetic ingredients in the practices of use and concentration as described in this safety assessment.

Use this, not that!

Products where you might find Quercetin

VitaMedica Bromelain with Quercetin (60 capsules); Roll over or click image to zoom in Josie Maran Argan Beta Retinol Pink Algae Serum