Stability of ferric complexes with 3-hydroxyflavone (flavonol), 5,7-dihydroxyflavone (chrysin), and 3',4'-dihydroxyflavone.

The acid dissociation and ferric stability constants for complexation by the flavonoids 3-hydroxyflavone (flavonol), 5,7-dihydroxyflavone (chrysin), and 3',4'-dihydroxyflavone in 50:50 (v/v) ethanol/water are determined by pH potentiometric and spectrophotometric titrations and the linear least-squares curve-fitting program Hyperquad. Over the entire range of pH and reagent concentrations spanning the titration experiments, the stoichiometry for iron-flavonoid complex formation was 1:1 for all three flavonoids examined. The three flavonoids were chosen for their hydroxy substitution pattern, with each possessing one of the three most commonly suggested sites for metal binding by the flavonoids. On the basis of the calculated stability constants, the intraflavonoid-binding site competition is illustrated as a function of pH via speciation curves. The curves indicate that the binding site comprised of the 3',4'-hydroxy substitutions, the catecholic site, is most influential for ferric complexation at the physiological pH of 7.4. The possibility for antioxidant activity by flavonoid chelation of ferric iron in the presence of other competitive physiological complexing agents is demonstrated through additional speciation calculations.