„Hops (Humulus lupulus L.), a principal raw material of beer, have been widely used throughout the world in the brewing industry. It acts as a preservative and gives beer the unique aroma and flavor (McAdam et al., 2013; Dostalek et al., 2017). In addition, hops have been used as a medicinal plant for a long time throughout history owing to its richness in a variety of phenolic compounds (Zanoli and Zavatti, 2008). The dried hops contain 4–14% polyphenols, mainly phenolic acids, prenylated chalcones, flavonoids, catechins, and proanthocyanidins (Nikolic and van Breemen, 2013). Xanthohumol (Xn; 3′-[3,3-dimethylallyl]-2′,4′,4-trihydroxy-6′-methoxychalcone), the most abundant prenylated flavonoid with 0.1–1% of dry weight in hops, can be isolated from the female inflorescences. It is also a constituent of beer, a major dietary source of prenylated flavonoids, where it has been found at concentrations up to 0.96 mg/L (1.95 μM) (Chen et al., 2012).
The structure of Xn was firstly identified by Verzele et al. (1957). However, the beneficial pharmacological properties of Xn were not appreciated until 1990s, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and antiplasmodial activity (Liu et al., 2015). In recent years, increasing evidences suggested the anticancer activity of Xn against NSCLC, leukemia, HCC, breast cancer, PCa, CCA, glioblastoma, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer, melanoma, thyroid cancer, laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), and ovarian cancer.”

Adapted from the paper published online 2018 May 22. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2018.00530

For more information about xanthohumol: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov