Galuteolin

Galuteolin at a Glance

Galuteolin is luteolin 7-O-β-D-glucoside — the flavone luteolin with a glucose sugar attached at its 7-position. It is far better known by two other names: cynaroside (from Cynara, the artichoke genus it was first isolated from) and luteoloside (the name that dominates the Chinese honeysuckle literature). All three refer to the same molecule.

In most plants luteolin is stored as this glycoside rather than as the free aglycone, so galuteolin is one of the most widely distributed flavone glucosides in nature — a characteristic constituent of honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, artichoke, plantain and many culinary herbs, and a recognised quality marker of honeysuckle flower ^{11,14Reference 11Yuan Y et al. · 2022Yuan Y, et al. (2022). [Analysis and prediction of quality markers of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi (China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35534244/View study →Reference 14Ma P et al. · 2024ReviewLonicerae Japonicae Flos with the homology of medicine and food: a review of active ingredients, anticancer mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, quality control, toxicity and applicationsView study →}.

Its documented pharmacology is broad on paper — antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, anticancer and antidiabetic signals all appear — but it is almost entirely preclinical (cell and rodent studies of the isolated compound). There are no clinical trials. Two facts frame everything below: the glucoside is generally less potent than luteolin itself in side-by-side assays, and in the gut it is largely hydrolysed back to luteolin before absorption, so much of what galuteolin “does” in the body is really luteolin’s doing.

Galuteolin vs. Luteolin: The Glycoside Question

The single most important thing to understand about galuteolin is that it is a pro-form of luteolin, not an independent drug. The 7-O-glucose group changes the molecule’s behaviour in two ways that matter.

Solubility and storage. The sugar makes galuteolin more water-soluble than luteolin, which is why plants accumulate the glycoside in cell vacuoles as the storage/transport form and release the aglycone on demand.

Absorption. When galuteolin is eaten, it is not absorbed intact to any great degree. Dietary flavonoid glucosides are deglycosylated in the small intestine — cleaved by lactase-phlorizin hydrolase at the brush border and by cytosolic β-glucosidase inside enterocytes (with gut microbiota hydrolysing whatever reaches the colon) — and it is the freed luteolin aglycone that is then absorbed and conjugated ^{10Reference 10Németh K et al. · 2003Deglycosylation by small intestinal epithelial cell beta-glucosidases is a critical step in the absorption and metabolism of dietary flavonoid glycosides in humansView study →}. The practical consequence: an oral dose of galuteolin behaves pharmacokinetically much like a dose of luteolin, which is itself poorly bioavailable. This is the honest caveat under every in-vitro result below — high potency in a dish where the intact glucoside is applied directly does not survive the trip through the gut.

The corollary is that in cell-free and cell-based assays where the glucoside is delivered directly, galuteolin is usually a weaker ligand than luteolin. In the influenza-endonuclease work, for instance, the aglycone luteolin was among the most potent inhibitors while glycosylation reduced activity ^{2Reference 2Zima V et al. · 2020Unraveling the anti-influenza effect of flavonoids: experimental validation of luteolin and its congeners as potent influenza endonuclease inhibitorsView study →}. Galuteolin’s interest is therefore less as a standalone therapeutic and more as (a) a major dietary and herbal delivery form of luteolin and (b) an analytical marker of the plants that contain it.

What It's Used For

Galuteolin’s evidence is wide but shallow: multiple mechanisms are reported, almost all from isolated-compound cell work or small rodent studies, with no human data. Read every row through the bioavailability caveat above.

Evidence by IndicationStrength of support · Beta

Support is an experimental score — weighted by study type (human > animal > in vitro) and volume. A beta, not a validated metric. Every score here is capped low because the data are entirely preclinical and the compound is a poorly-absorbed pro-form of luteolin.

01Antiviral (Enterovirus & Influenza)Shaky42%Isolate in-vitro: EV71 3C-protease inhibition + flavone endonuclease inhibition ^{1,2Reference 1Cao Z et al. · 2016In vitroLuteoloside acts as 3C protease inhibitor of enterovirus 71 in vitroView study →Reference 2Zima V et al. · 2020Unraveling the anti-influenza effect of flavonoids: experimental validation of luteolin and its congeners as potent influenza endonuclease inhibitorsView study →}

02Anti-Inflammatory & AntioxidantShaky38%In-vitro + some in-vivo: NF-κB/STAT3 suppression, Nrf2/HO-1 activation ^{3,4,12,13Reference 3De Stefano A et al. · 2021Anti-inflammatory and proliferative properties of luteolin-7-O-glucosideView study →Reference 4Palombo R et al. · 2016AnimalLuteolin-7-glucoside inhibits IL-22/STAT3 pathway, reducing proliferation, acanthosis, and inflammation in keratinocytes and in mouse psoriatic modelView study →Reference 12Xu T et al. · 2022Hawk tea flavonoids as natural hepatoprotective agents alleviate acute liver damage by reshaping the intestinal microbiota and modulating the Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathwaysView study →Reference 13Kim H et al. · 2026Chrysanthemum morifolium extract protects HT22 cells from oxidative stress and enhances sleep via GABAergic modulation: contribution of luteolin-7-glucosideView study →}

03HepatoprotectiveShaky34%Rodent isolate models (CCl₄, Toxoplasma) ^{8,9Reference 8Qiusheng Z et al. · 2004AnimalProtective effects of luteolin-7-glucoside against liver injury caused by carbon tetrachloride in ratsView study →Reference 9Han C et al. · 2023Protective effect of luteoloside against Toxoplasma gondii-induced liver injury through inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB and P2X7R/NLRP3View study →}

04Anticancer (In Vitro)Shaky26%Cell lines only: MET/AKT/mTOR, DYRK2 docking ^{5,6Reference 5Ji Q et al. · 2021Effects of cynaroside on cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion through the MET/AKT/mTOR axis in gastric cancerView study →Reference 6Pirvu L et al. · 2023In vitroAnti-proliferative potential of cynaroside and orientin — in silico (DYRK2) and in vitro (U87 and Caco-2) studiesView study →}

05Antidiabetic (Enzyme Inhibition)Shaky22%In-vitro enzyme assays (aldose reductase, α-glucosidase) ^{7Reference 7Hwang SH et al. · 2018Evaluation of aldose reductase, protein glycation, and antioxidant inhibitory activities of bioactive flavonoids in Matricaria recutita L. and their structure-activity relationshipView study →}

Mechanisms

The load-bearing point: most of these targets are also hit by luteolin, usually more strongly — galuteolin’s differentiator is the antiviral protease/endonuclease activity and its role as the absorbable-after-hydrolysis storage form.

Pharmacokinetics

Galuteolin is a flavone 7-O-glucoside, and its pharmacokinetics are governed by the sugar. Intact absorption across the gut wall is limited; instead the molecule is deglycosylated in the small intestine — by lactase-phlorizin hydrolase at the brush border and cytosolic β-glucosidase within enterocytes, with colonic microbiota hydrolysing the remainder — and the liberated luteolin aglycone is what enters the circulation, where it is rapidly conjugated to glucuronides and sulfates ^{10Reference 10Németh K et al. · 2003Deglycosylation by small intestinal epithelial cell beta-glucosidases is a critical step in the absorption and metabolism of dietary flavonoid glycosides in humansView study →}. Because luteolin itself has low oral bioavailability, oral galuteolin delivers only modest systemic luteolin exposure. No dedicated human pharmacokinetic dataset exists for galuteolin, and its plasma half-life, absolute bioavailability and tissue distribution as the intact glucoside are uncharacterised — the practical model is “a slower-release, water-soluble source of a poorly-bioavailable aglycone.”

Clinical Trials

There are no clinical trials of galuteolin. All evidence is preclinical (in-vitro and rodent). Human exposure is entirely dietary and herbal — as a constituent of honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, artichoke and culinary herbs — not as an isolated intervention.

Last checked: July 2026.

Isolate vs. Plant Studies

The evidence sits at both extremes and skips the middle. On one hand, the mechanistic work — 3C-protease inhibition ^{1Reference 1Cao Z et al. · 2016In vitroLuteoloside acts as 3C protease inhibitor of enterovirus 71 in vitroView study →}, MET/AKT/mTOR suppression ^{5Reference 5Ji Q et al. · 2021Effects of cynaroside on cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion through the MET/AKT/mTOR axis in gastric cancerView study →}, DYRK2 docking ^{6Reference 6Pirvu L et al. · 2023In vitroAnti-proliferative potential of cynaroside and orientin — in silico (DYRK2) and in vitro (U87 and Caco-2) studiesView study →}, enzyme-inhibition assays ^{7Reference 7Hwang SH et al. · 2018Evaluation of aldose reductase, protein glycation, and antioxidant inhibitory activities of bioactive flavonoids in Matricaria recutita L. and their structure-activity relationshipView study →} — uses the purified isolate at defined concentrations, which is a strength for attributing mechanism. On the other, the more physiological hepatoprotective and antioxidant results often come from whole-plant extracts (sage, hawk tea, chrysanthemum) in which galuteolin is one flavonoid among many and cannot be credited alone ^{12,13Reference 12Xu T et al. · 2022Hawk tea flavonoids as natural hepatoprotective agents alleviate acute liver damage by reshaping the intestinal microbiota and modulating the Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathwaysView study →Reference 13Kim H et al. · 2026Chrysanthemum morifolium extract protects HT22 cells from oxidative stress and enhances sleep via GABAergic modulation: contribution of luteolin-7-glucosideView study →}. What is entirely missing is the bridge that matters most for this particular molecule: a study showing that an orally administered dose of the glucoside produces a systemic effect after the gut hydrolyses it to luteolin. Until that exists, galuteolin’s in-vitro potency and its real-world oral activity should be treated as separate questions.

Prevalence in Nature

Galuteolin is one of the most widely distributed flavone glucosides in the plant kingdom, because 7-O-glucosylation is the default way plants store luteolin. It is a characteristic constituent of honeysuckle flower (Lonicera japonica, and related Lonicera species), where — as luteoloside — it serves as a quality marker: it is one of the compounds tracked for authenticating and grading Lonicerae Japonicae Flos, with a pharmacopoeial content floor around ~0.05% of dry weight ^{11,14Reference 11Yuan Y et al. · 2022Yuan Y, et al. (2022). [Analysis and prediction of quality markers of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi (China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35534244/View study →Reference 14Ma P et al. · 2024ReviewLonicerae Japonicae Flos with the homology of medicine and food: a review of active ingredients, anticancer mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, quality control, toxicity and applicationsView study →}.

Beyond honeysuckle it occurs in chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium) ^{13Reference 13Kim H et al. · 2026Chrysanthemum morifolium extract protects HT22 cells from oxidative stress and enhances sleep via GABAergic modulation: contribution of luteolin-7-glucosideView study →}, globe artichoke (Cynara scolymus — the source of its “cynaroside” name), plantain (Plantago lanceolata and P. major), shepherd’s purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris, where it is a major aerial-part flavonoid), sage (Salvia officinalis) ^{12Reference 12Xu T et al. · 2022Hawk tea flavonoids as natural hepatoprotective agents alleviate acute liver damage by reshaping the intestinal microbiota and modulating the Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathwaysView study →}, and many culinary and medicinal herbs including celery, dandelion and goat’s rue. Reported concentrations are patchy and method-dependent; outside the honeysuckle pharmacopoeial figure, most sources are described qualitatively rather than quantified.

Discovery & Synthesis

Galuteolin’s best-known name, cynaroside, records its origin: it was isolated from artichoke (Cynara), reportedly in the mid-1950s, and characterised as a luteolin glucoside toward the end of that decade — an attribution that is commonly cited but whose primary source is not well documented. The alternative name luteoloside entered the literature through Chinese pharmacognosy of honeysuckle, and galuteolin is the older systematic-style synonym; all denote luteolin 7-O-β-D-glucoside.

There is no landmark “first total synthesis” story of note — the compound is obtained by extraction from luteoloside-rich plants (honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, artichoke) or made by enzymatic or chemical glucosylation of luteolin at the 7-position, and it is sold mainly as an analytical reference standard and research chemical rather than manufactured at drug scale. Because it is a simple glucoside of an abundant flavone, supply is not a bottleneck.

Patents: not yet researched.

Toxicity & Safety

Galuteolin carries a low toxicity flag. It is a common dietary flavone glucoside — eaten routinely in honeysuckle tea, chrysanthemum, artichoke and leafy herbs — and is metabolised to luteolin, itself a low-toxicity dietary flavone. No signal of acute toxicity, genotoxicity or organ damage from the isolated compound appears in the preclinical record; on the contrary, most isolate studies report protective (hepatoprotective, antioxidant) effects ^{8,9,12Reference 8Qiusheng Z et al. · 2004AnimalProtective effects of luteolin-7-glucoside against liver injury caused by carbon tetrachloride in ratsView study →Reference 9Han C et al. · 2023Protective effect of luteoloside against Toxoplasma gondii-induced liver injury through inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB and P2X7R/NLRP3View study →Reference 12Xu T et al. · 2022Hawk tea flavonoids as natural hepatoprotective agents alleviate acute liver damage by reshaping the intestinal microbiota and modulating the Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathwaysView study →}. That said, the safety database is thin and the caution is mostly the honest scope note below.

Safety at a Glance

✅ Low / no toxicity

• Dietary flavone glucoside. Routinely consumed in honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, artichoke and culinary herbs; hydrolysed to luteolin, a well-tolerated dietary flavone.
• No isolate toxicity signal. Preclinical studies report protective rather than harmful effects at the doses used.
• Safety data are thin. No dedicated repeat-dose, genotoxicity or human safety studies exist for the isolated compound; absence of harm reports is not proof of safety.
• Interactions & special populations not characterised. Drug-metabolising-enzyme/transporter interactions and pregnancy/lactation effects have not been assessed for galuteolin specifically; those decisions belong to the herb or product being used, not to this molecule page.

Dosage

There is no established human dose for galuteolin. It has no clinical trials, no approved use, and no dosing guidance. Preclinical work uses isolated-compound concentrations — micromolar to low-millimolar in vitro, or a few mg/kg in rodents — that do not translate to a human dose, and because oral galuteolin is largely hydrolysed to luteolin before absorption ^{10Reference 10Németh K et al. · 2003Deglycosylation by small intestinal epithelial cell beta-glucosidases is a critical step in the absorption and metabolism of dietary flavonoid glycosides in humansView study →}, any real-world intake is better thought of as a source of luteolin than as a defined dose of the glucoside. In practice, human exposure comes from foods and herbs that contain it (honeysuckle tea, chrysanthemum, artichoke, leafy herbs) rather than from an isolated supplement. These are research figures, not a personal recommendation.

References

1. Cao Z, et al. (2016). Luteoloside acts as 3C protease inhibitor of enterovirus 71 in vitro. PLoS One. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26870944/
2. Zima V, et al. (2020). Unraveling the anti-influenza effect of flavonoids: experimental validation of luteolin and its congeners as potent influenza endonuclease inhibitors. European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32883638/
3. De Stefano A, et al. (2021). Anti-inflammatory and proliferative properties of luteolin-7-O-glucoside. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33525692/
4. Palombo R, et al. (2016). Luteolin-7-glucoside inhibits IL-22/STAT3 pathway, reducing proliferation, acanthosis, and inflammation in keratinocytes and in mouse psoriatic model. Cell Death & Disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27537526/
5. Ji Q, et al. (2021). Effects of cynaroside on cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and invasion through the MET/AKT/mTOR axis in gastric cancer. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34830011/
6. Pirvu L, et al. (2023). Anti-proliferative potential of cynaroside and orientin — in silico (DYRK2) and in vitro (U87 and Caco-2) studies. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38068880/
7. Hwang SH, et al. (2018). Evaluation of aldose reductase, protein glycation, and antioxidant inhibitory activities of bioactive flavonoids in Matricaria recutita L. and their structure-activity relationship. Journal of Diabetes Research. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29850602/
8. Qiusheng Z, et al. (2004). Protective effects of luteolin-7-glucoside against liver injury caused by carbon tetrachloride in rats. Pharmazie. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15125574/
9. Han C, et al. (2023). Protective effect of luteoloside against Toxoplasma gondii-induced liver injury through inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB and P2X7R/NLRP3. Parasitology Research. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37046028/
10. Németh K, et al. (2003). Deglycosylation by small intestinal epithelial cell beta-glucosidases is a critical step in the absorption and metabolism of dietary flavonoid glycosides in humans. European Journal of Nutrition. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12594539/
11. Yuan Y, et al. (2022). [Analysis and prediction of quality markers of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos]. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi (China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35534244/
12. Xu T, et al. (2022). Hawk tea flavonoids as natural hepatoprotective agents alleviate acute liver damage by reshaping the intestinal microbiota and modulating the Nrf2 and NF-κB signaling pathways. Nutrients. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36079919/
13. Kim H, et al. (2026). Chrysanthemum morifolium extract protects HT22 cells from oxidative stress and enhances sleep via GABAergic modulation: contribution of luteolin-7-glucoside. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41276885/
14. Ma P, et al. (2024). Lonicerae Japonicae Flos with the homology of medicine and food: a review of active ingredients, anticancer mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, quality control, toxicity and applications. Frontiers in Oncology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39314630/

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