School of Physical Education and Training, Capital University of Physical Education and Sports, Beijing 100191, China.
Department of Physical Education, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China.
Nutrients. 2024 Oct 17;16(20):3520. doi: 10.3390/nu16203520.
Flax ( L.) is the richest plant source of lignin secondary metabolites. Lignans from flax have been applied in the fields of food, medicine, and health due to their significant physiological activities. The most abundant lignan is secoisolariciresinol, which exists in a glycosylated form in plants.
After ingestion, it is converted by human intestinal flora into enterodiol and enterolactone, which both have physiological roles. Here, the basic structures, contents, synthesis, regulatory, and metabolic pathways, as well as extraction and isolation methods, of flax lignans were reviewed. Additionally, the physiological activity-related mechanisms and their impacts on human health, from the biosynthesis of lignans in plants to the physiological activity effects observed in animal metabolites, were examined.
The review elucidates that lignans, as phenolic compounds, not only function as active substances in plants but also offer significant nutritional values and health benefits when flax is consumed.
亚麻（Linum usitatissimum）是木质素次生代谢物最丰富的植物来源。由于其具有显著的生理活性，亚麻中的木脂素已应用于食品、医药和保健领域。最丰富的木脂素是松脂醇二葡萄糖苷，它以糖苷的形式存在于植物中。
摄入后，它被人体肠道菌群转化为肠二醇和肠内酯，两者都具有生理作用。本文综述了亚麻木脂素的基本结构、含量、合成、调控和代谢途径，以及提取和分离方法。此外，还研究了其与生理活性相关的机制及其对人类健康的影响，从植物中木脂素的生物合成到动物代谢物中观察到的生理活性效应。
综述表明，木脂素作为酚类化合物，不仅在植物中作为活性物质发挥作用，而且当食用亚麻时，还具有重要的营养价值和健康益处。
