Isoflavones belong to the natural substances exhibiting a number of physiological effects in living organisms. The substances are synthesized in plant tissues as protective agents against biotic stress (i.e. bacterial infection). Isoflavones are also an important dietary constituent in human nutrition. The review discusses modern trends in the studies of isoflavones in plant materials and foodstuffs and procedures for chemical analyses of isoflavones in human body fluids and plant tissues. Highly effective extraction and purification techniques, i.e. solid-phase extraction (SFE), accelerated-solvent extraction (ASE), and Soxhlet extraction, are presented. Latest procedures in chromatographic separation of isoflavones that apply different types of stationary phases are described. Immunochemical analysis, electrochemical sensing of isoflavones, spectrometric and other analytical techniques and their applications are also mentioned. Special attention is focused on a highly selective and sensitive technique of mass spectrometry and its application for identification of isoflavones and their glucosides in plants. Studies of interactions of isoflavones with cell receptors and a number of biologically active substances such as DNA and proteins are described. The reason for the presentation of the review was not to give a full overview of the presented topics but mainly to show modern and the most recent methods in the studies of isoflavones.

Akademie ved Ceské republiky Biofyzikální ústav Brno