Subcellular localization of flavonol aglycone in hepatocytes visualized by confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscope

Flavonoids are widely distributed in the plant kingdom and show various biological activities. The bioavailability of flavonoids in biological samples has conventionally been quantified by high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, but with these analytical techniques it is difficult to estimate the subcellular localization of flavonoids in intact cells. In this study, we attempted to examine the localization of flavonoids in cultured cells using a confocal laser scanning fluorescence microscope and mouse hepatoma Hepa-1c1c7 cells. Five flavonol aglycones showed autofluorescence in the cells under the conditions (Ex. 488 nm to Em. 515–535 nm), whereas three flavonol glycosides and eight compounds belonging to other flavonoid subclasses, i.e., flavones, flavanones, and catechins, did not. The autofluorescence of galangin and kaempferol appeared stronger in the nucleus than cytoplasm, suggesting that they are incorporated into the cells and accumulated in the nucleus. The proposed method provided evidence that flavonol aglycones are incorporated into, and accumulated in the nucleus of, hepatocytes.