Mechanisms
Xanthohumol from hops shows the strongest CETP-inhibitory activity among screened plant chalcones (Food Chem 2012)
Original title: Xanthohumol, a prenylated chalcone from Humulus lupulus L., inhibits cholesteryl ester transfer protein
Screening natural products from various plants for cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitory activity, researchers found xanthohumol, a prenylated chalcone from hops (Humulus lupulus), showed the highest inhibition of CETP. Testing related chalcones and flavanones, naringenin chalcone showed weaker CETP inhibition than xanthohumol, while isoxanthohumol and naringenin showed drastically reduced inhibitory activity. The authors conclude that both the prenyl group and the chalcone structure of xanthohumol are responsible for its CETP-inhibitory activity.
Original abstract
High density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels are correlated with a low risk of atherosclerosis. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP), which catalyses cholesterol transfer between lipoproteins, leads to an increase in HDL-cholesterol and is expected to be the next anti-atherogenic target. This study revealed that xanthohumol, a prenylated chalcone, showed the highest inhibition against CETP from screening of natural products in various plants. We investigated the inhibitory activity of some chalcones and flavanones. Naringenin chalcone showed weak CETP inhibition compared with xanthohumol. In addition, isoxanthohumol and naringenin drastically decreased the inhibitory activity. These results suggest that the prenyl group and chalcone structure of xanthohumol were responsible for the CETP inhibitory activity.
Summary written by cetpinhibition.org from the published abstract; figures as published. Page updated 18 August 2026. Methods.