Table 2_Pharmacological actions and applications of safflower flavonoids.doc

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.), also known as Honghua, blueflower, or prickly safflower, is a medicinal herb effective in promoting blood circulation, dredging meridians, eliminating blood stasis, and relieving pain. Safflower contains complex chemical components, including flavonoids, alkaloids, organic acids, pigments, etc. Among them, flavonoids such as chalcone compounds, quercetin, rutin, and kaempferol serve as the material basis for the pharmacological effects of safflower. Flavonoids in safflower exhibit diverse biological activities, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular protection, antioxidant, neuroprotective, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects. Additionally, they show great potential in gynecological diseases, food production, and other fields. With extensive research by scholars on the active mechanisms and targets of safflower flavonoids, their application prospects in the medical field have been found to be extremely broad. This review used keywords such as “Carthamus tinctorius L.,” “safflower,” “flavonoids,” “therapeutic effect,” “mechanism,” “application,” etc., to search relevant studies up to January 2025 in multiple internationally recognized databases (including PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wan fang, Sci Finder, Elsevier, cnipa), finally including 143 high-quality studies. Representative images were drawn using BioRender and ChemDraw software to focus on presenting the action mechanisms and targets of safflower flavonoids. This article systematically reviews the pharmacological effects of safflower flavonoids and their applications in various fields in recent years, aiming to provide theoretical guidance and scientific basis for the comprehensive utilization of safflower resources and further research.

红花（Carthamus tinctorius L.），又名红蓝花、蓝花、刺红花，是一味具有活血化瘀、疏通经络、祛瘀止痛功效的药用草本植物。其化学成分复杂多样，涵盖黄酮类（flavonoids）、生物碱、有机酸、色素等。其中，查尔酮类化合物（chalcone compounds）、槲皮素（quercetin）、芦丁（rutin）、山奈酚（kaempferol）等黄酮类物质，是红花发挥药理作用的物质基础。红花中的黄酮类成分具备多种生物活性，包括心脑血管保护、抗氧化、神经保护、抗肿瘤、抗炎及免疫调节作用；此外，该类成分在妇科疾病、食品生产等领域亦展现出极佳的应用潜力。随着学界对红花黄酮类活性机制与作用靶点的研究不断深入，其在医药领域的应用前景极为广阔。本综述以"Carthamus tinctorius L."、“红花”、“黄酮类”、“治疗效应（therapeutic effect）”、“作用机制（mechanism）”、“应用（application）”等为关键词，在PubMed、Web of Science、中国知网（CNKI）、万方数据、SciFinder、Elsevier、cnipa等多个国际认可的数据库中检索截至2025年1月的相关研究，最终纳入143项高质量研究。本研究采用BioRender与ChemDraw软件绘制代表性图片，重点呈现红花黄酮类的作用机制与靶点。本文系统综述了近年来红花黄酮类的药理作用及其在各领域的应用情况，旨在为红花资源的综合利用与后续深入研究提供理论指导与科学依据。