Interactions of flavonoids with lipidic mesophases

Along having various health benefits, flavonoids are increasingly being recognized as potent antioxidants and anticancer compounds. However, despite significant efforts over the last few decades to develop novel delivery systems providing higher drug bioavailability, many biofunctional aspects are still unsolved. In this chapter, we review the current knowledge on flavonoid–lipid interactions and elucidate in particular their influence on lipidic self-assembled mesophases. The interactions of flavonoids with phospholipid-based planar membranes and monoglycerides-based curved membranes are presented in detail; the main structural changes in these self-assemblies are summarized, and the correlation between membranes’ structure and function is discussed. Based on those considerations, especially the importance of membrane curvature and possible biological implications are highlighted.