Biological Chemistry - Berezov, T. T., Korovkin, B. F. 1998

Vitamins
Water-Soluble Vitamins
Vitamin P

Vitamin P (rutin, citrin; permeability vitamin) was isolated in 1936 by A. Szent-Györgyi from lemon peel. The term "vitamin P", which increases capillary resistance (from the Latin permeability), encompasses a group of substances with similar biological activity: catechins, Chalcones, dihydrochalcones, flavins, flavanones, isoflavones, flavonols, etc. All of them exhibit P-vitamin activity, and their chemical Structure is based on the diphenylpropane carbon "Skeleton" of chromone or flavone. This accounts for their collective name, "bioflavonoids." Below is The structure of rutin isolated from buckwheat leaves:

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A deficiency or lack of bioflavonoids in the diet of humans and guinea pigs leads to increased vascular permeability, accompanied by hemorrhages and bleeding; in humans, this is additionally manifested by generalized weakness, rapid fatigue, and pain in the extremities.

Biological role. Bioflavonoids stabilize the ground substance of Connective Tissue by inhibiting hyaluronidase. This is supported by evidence that P-vitamin preparations, much like ascorbic acid, have a beneficial effect in the Prevention and Treatment of scurvy, rheumatism, Burns, and other conditions. These findings indicate a close functional relationship between Vitamins C and P in the body's redox processes, forming a single integrated system. This is also indirectly evidenced by the therapeutic effect produced by the combination of Vitamin C and bioflavonoids, known as ascorutyn.

The primary dietary sources of vitamin P for adults are the same plant-based foods (particularly fruits and vegetables) that are rich in vitamin C. The pharmaceutical industry produces a range of preparations with P-vitamin activity: tea catechins, rutin, quercetin, hesperidin, naringin, etc. The daily requirement for vitamin P has not been established.