Quercetin

Summary

Quercetin (CHEMBL50) is an approved small-molecule antibacterial agent targeting NT5E and CYP1B1; indicated across 24 conditions including coronary artery disorder and chronic kidney disease.

At a glance

• Status: Approved (max clinical phase 4)
• Modality: Small molecule
• Targets: 2 (NT5E, CYP1B1)
• Indications: 24 conditions
• Clinical trials: 58
• Chemistry: 302.23 Da · C15H10O7

Identifiers

Drug identity and classification

Field	Value
ChEMBL ID	CHEMBL50
Name	Quercetin
Type	Small molecule
Max phase	3
FDA approved	yes
PubChem CID	5280343
ChEBI	CHEBI:16243
Molecular formula	C15H10O7
Molecular weight	302.23
InChIKey	REFJWTPEDVJJIY-UHFFFAOYSA-N

SMILES: C1=CC(=C(C=C1C2=C(C(=O)C3=C(C=C(C=C3O2)O)O)O)O)O

IUPAC name: 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,5,7-trihydroxychromen-4-one

ChEBI definition: A pentahydroxyflavone having the five hydroxy groups placed at the 3-, 3’-, 4’-, 5- and 7-positions. It is one of the most abundant flavonoids in edible vegetables, fruit and wine.

Pharmacological roles (ChEBI): antibacterial agent, antioxidant, protein kinase inhibitor, antineoplastic agent, EC 1.10.99.2 [ribosyldihydronicotinamide dehydrogenase (quinone)] inhibitor, phytoestrogen, radical scavenger, chelator, Aurora kinase inhibitor, geroprotector.

Other ChEBI roles (chemical / environmental): plant metabolite.

Also known as: 3’-hydroxykaempferol, C.i. 75670, C.i. natural red 1, Ci-75670, Corvitin, Cyanidenolon 1522, Korvitin, LDN 0052529, LDN-0052529, Lipoflavon, Meletin, NSC 57655

Parent form; salt/anhydrous children: CHEMBL1173475, CHEMBL1520590

Patent coverage: 33,931 distinct patent families (74,559 SureChEMBL compound mentions), from 4 matched compound structure(s). One matched structure accounts for 73,116 (98%) of the total. Mentions count patents naming the compound (not distinct inventions), so promiscuous / reference molecules inflate the mention figure — families are the dedup metric.

Targets

Targets

Primary targets (GtoPdb curated mechanism): the Cancer dependency column is the DepMap CRISPR fitness signal (% of screened cell lines dependent on the target).

Gene	Target	Action	pAffinity	Cancer dependency	UniProt
NT5E	Ecto-5’-Nucleotidase	Inhibition	7.34	0%	P21589
CYP1B1	CYP1B1	Inhibition	7.64	0.1%	Q16678

Broader ChEMBL bioactivity targets: 214 (assay-derived). Sample: Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1, 5’-nucleotidase, Aldo-keto reductase family 1 member C21, NADPH oxidase 4, ELAV-like protein 1, Short transient receptor potential channel 5, Microtubule-associated protein tau, Lysine-specific demethylase 4E, Ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 2, Survival motor neuron protein.

Bioactivity

ChEMBL activities: 255 potent at pChembl ≥ 5 of 431 total. Top 30 by potency (10 = 0.1 nM, 6 = 1 µM):

Target	pChembl	Type	Value	Unit	Activity ID
P21398	8	IC50	10	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_2543849
CYP19A1	7.92	IC50	12	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_3290710
AKR1B1	7.83	IC50	14.8	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_2481523
CYP1B1	7.64	Ki	23	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_18157566
CYP1B1	7.64	Ki	23	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_6207669
PIM1	7.6	Kd	25	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_1657782
ABCG2	7.52	EC50	30	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_18225509
F2	7.41	Kd	38.7	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_13442142
PIM1	7.37	IC50	43	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_1655426
P21588	7.34	Ki	45.3	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_3122313
CYP1B1	7.11	IC50	77	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_18068932
CYP1B1	7.11	IC50	77	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_3409870
SRC	6.92	IC50	120	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_13878351
HSD17B10	6.9	Potency	125.9	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_4837177
HSD17B10	6.8	Potency	158.5	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_4829684
NPSR1	6.8	Potency	158.5	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_4885195
MMP9	6.76	IC50	173.8	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_23231071
POLB	6.7	Potency	199.5	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_5043440
P12527	6.7	IC50	200	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_842488
AKR1B1	6.64	IC50	230	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_29120211
HSD17B10	6.6	Potency	251.2	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_4869407
ABCG2	6.56	EC50	278	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_18072656
ABCG2	6.56	EC50	278	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_18315218
KDR	6.55	IC50	280	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_13878344
XDH	6.55	Ki	280	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_15008223
P17988	6.54	IC50	290	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_25029744
P12527	6.52	IC50	300	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_1270640
IGF1R	6.52	IC50	300	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_13878407
P12527	6.52	IC50	300	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_247235
CYP1A2	6.5	AC50	316.2	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_6046862

Target pathways

Aggregated over 2 target gene(s): NT5E, CYP1B1.

Top Reactome pathways

18 total, by targets touching each:

Pathway	Targets	Genes
Metabolism	1	NT5E
Metabolism of nucleotides	1	NT5E
Disease	1	NT5E
Nicotinate metabolism	1	NT5E
Metabolism of water-soluble vitamins and cofactors	1	NT5E
Metabolism of vitamins and cofactors	1	NT5E
Endogenous sterols	1	CYP1B1
Synthesis of epoxy (EET) and dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHET)	1	CYP1B1
Synthesis of (16-20)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETE)	1	CYP1B1
Defective CYP1B1 causes Glaucoma	1	CYP1B1
Infectious disease	1	NT5E
Pyrimidine catabolism	1	NT5E
Purine catabolism	1	NT5E
Nucleotide catabolism	1	NT5E
Leishmania infection	1	NT5E
Purinergic signaling in leishmaniasis infection	1	NT5E
Cell recruitment (pro-inflammatory response)	1	NT5E
Parasitic Infection Pathways	1	NT5E

Dominant GO biological processes

GO term	Targets
AMP catabolic process	1
DNA metabolic process	1
leukocyte cell-cell adhesion	1
response to ATP	1
ADP catabolic process	1
ATP metabolic process	1
adenosine biosynthetic process	1
negative regulation of inflammatory response	1
calcium ion homeostasis	1
inhibition of non-skeletal tissue mineralization	1
nucleotide catabolic process	1
angiogenesis	1
trabecular meshwork development	1
steroid catabolic process	1
xenobiotic metabolic process	1

Indications & clinical

Indications

24 indications (0 at ChEMBL trial phase 4). Phase below is the highest clinical-trial phase recorded for this drug against each disease — not the molecule’s overall approval status (that is in the Summary).

Indication	Trial phase	MONDO	EFO
coronary artery disorder	3	MONDO:0005010	EFO:0001645
chronic kidney disease	2	MONDO:0005300	EFO:0003884
follicular lymphoma	2	MONDO:0018906	MONDO:0018906
childhood malignant neoplasm	2	MONDO:0006517	EFO:1000654
age-related macular degeneration	2	MONDO:0005150	EFO:0001365
oral cavity neoplasm	2	MONDO:0021245	EFO:0003868
type 2 diabetes mellitus	2	MONDO:0005148	MONDO:0005148
cystic fibrosis	2	MONDO:0009061	MONDO:0009061
squamous cell carcinoma	2	MONDO:0005096	EFO:0000707
obesity disorder	2	MONDO:0011122	EFO:0001073
triple-negative breast carcinoma	2	MONDO:0005494	EFO:0005537
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	1	MONDO:0005002	EFO:0000341
prostate adenocarcinoma	1	MONDO:0005082	EFO:0000673
gastroesophageal reflux disease	1	MONDO:0007186	EFO:0003948
chronic hepatitis C virus infection	1	MONDO:0005354	EFO:0004220
lichen planus, oral	1	MONDO:0043923	EFO:0008517
severe acute respiratory syndrome	1	MONDO:0005091	MONDO:0100096
osteoarthritis	1	MONDO:0005178	MONDO:0005178
Fanconi anemia	1	MONDO:0019391	MONDO:0019391
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis	1	MONDO:0800504	EFO:0000768
Alzheimer disease	1	MONDO:0004975	MONDO:0004975

3 further indication records had no mapped disease name (EFO/MeSH-only) or were duplicates, and are omitted.

Clinical trials

Total trials: 58.

Phase distribution

Phase	Trials
Not specified	16
PHASE2	14
PHASE1	10
PHASE1/PHASE2	5
EARLY_PHASE1	5
PHASE4	4
PHASE3	3
PHASE2/PHASE3	1

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT00913081	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Advancing Niacin by Inhibiting Flushing (ANTI-FLUSH)
NCT02463357	PHASE4	COMPLETED	Three New Ideas to Protect Special Forces From the Stress of High Altitude
NCT04258410	PHASE4	WITHDRAWN	Quercetin for Cardio-Skeletal Muscle Health and Estrogen Deficiency
NCT04468139	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	The Study of Quadruple Therapy Zinc, Quercetin, Bromelain and Vitamin C on the Clinical Outcomes of Patients Infected With COVID-19
NCT05653258	PHASE2/PHASE3	RECRUITING	Single Nuclei RNA-seq to Map Adipose Cellular Populations and Senescent Cells in Older Subjects
NCT03943459	PHASE3	UNKNOWN	Sirtuin-1 and Advanced Glycation End-products in Postmenopausal Women With Coronary Disease
NCT04578158	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Trial to Study the Adjuvant Benefits of Quercetin Phytosome in Patients With COVID-19
NCT06650891	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Quercetin Effect on Post-ceserean Pain
NCT04685590	PHASE2	ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING	Senolytic Therapy to Modulate the Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease (SToMP-AD) Study
NCT04785300	PHASE1/PHASE2	ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING	ALSENLITE: Senolytics for Alzheimer’s Disease
NCT05838560	PHASE2	ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING	Dasatinib Plus Quercetin for Accelerated Aging in Mental Disorders
NCT06355037	PHASE2	RECRUITING	Dasatinib Combined With Quercetin to Reverse Chemo Resistance in Triple Negative Breast Cancer
NCT06940297	PHASE2	RECRUITING	Dasatinib and Quercetin With CAR-T Therapy for the Treatment of Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma
NCT07144293	PHASE2	ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING	Improving Physical Ability and Cellular Senescence Elimination in HIV
NCT07182526	PHASE2	RECRUITING	Effects of Adding Quercetin or Alpha Lipoic Acid to Usual Care on Symptoms and Blood Markers in Iraqi Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
NCT00065676	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Investigating the Use of Quercetin on Glucose Absorption in Obesity, and Obesity With Type 2 Diabetes
NCT01348204	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Nasal Potential Studies Utilizing Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Regulator (CFTR) Modulators
NCT01732393	PHASE1/PHASE2	COMPLETED	Effect of Quercetin in Prevention and Treatment of Oral Mucositis
NCT01839344	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Effects of Quercetin on Blood Sugar and Blood Vessel Function in Type 2 Diabetes.
NCT03989271	PHASE1/PHASE2	UNKNOWN	Biological Effects of Quercetin in COPD
NCT04063124	PHASE1/PHASE2	COMPLETED	Senolytic Therapy to Modulate Progression of Alzheimer’s Disease
NCT04313634	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Targeting Cellular Senescence With Senolytics to Improve Skeletal Health in Older Humans
NCT04907253	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Quercetin in Coronary Artery By-pass Surgery
NCT05062486	PHASE2	COMPLETED	A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of RQC for AMD
NCT05422885	PHASE1/PHASE2	COMPLETED	Safety and Feasibility of Dasatinib and Quercetin in Adults at Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease
NCT05456022	PHASE2	UNKNOWN	Therapeutic Efficacy of Quercetin Versus Its Encapsulated Nanoparticle on Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line
NCT06003270	PHASE2	UNKNOWN	Biological Effects of Quercetin in COPD Phase II
NCT07270120	PHASE1	NOT_YET_RECRUITING	Senolytics for Secondary Progressive MS
NCT07433621	PHASE1	RECRUITING	Quercetin in Patients With XIAP (X-linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis) Deficiency
NCT01375101	PHASE1	UNKNOWN	Therapeutic Effect of Quercetin and the Current Treatment of Erosive and Atrophic Oral Lichen Planus
NCT01438320	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Q-Trial in Patients With Hepatitis C
NCT01708278	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Beneficial Effects of Quercetin in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
NCT01912820	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Effect of Quercetin on Green Tea Polyphenol Uptake in Prostate Tissue From Patients With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Surgery
NCT02226484	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Can Quercetin Increase Claudin-4 and Improve Esophageal Barrier Function in GERD?
NCT02874989	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Targeting Pro-Inflammatory Cells in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: a Human Trial
NCT04851821	PHASE1	COMPLETED	The Effectiveness of Phytotherapy in SARS-COV2(COVID-19)
NCT05928546	PHASE1	UNKNOWN	Effect of Quercetin in Treatment of Periodontitis
NCT07025226	EARLY_PHASE1	RECRUITING	Sequential Treatments or Combinations Including Dasatinib, Quercetin, Fisetin and/or Temozolomide for the Treatment of Previously Treated Glioma With Residual Disease
NCT01376011	EARLY_PHASE1	COMPLETED	Modulation of Cerebral Blood Flow Using Quercetin, a Nutritional Supplement
NCT02989129	EARLY_PHASE1	WITHDRAWN	Trial of Quercetin in the Treatment and Prevention of Chemotherapy-induced Neuropathic Pain in Cancer Patients

Clinical evidence (CIViC)

No CIViC predictive evidence (expected for non-precision-medicine drugs).

Pharmacology

Pharmacogenomics

No CPIC/DPWG dosing guideline or drug-level clinical/variant annotations in PharmGKB for this molecule.

Related molecules

Related molecules

Molecules sharing ≥1 of this drug’s curated primary targets, merged from two biobtree sources and ranked by shared-target count, then clinical phase: ChEMBL clinical-stage candidates (development phase ≥2) and PubChem drug-class bioactivity (approved / known drugs acting on the target). Deduplicated by drug name; the drug’s own salt forms are excluded. Note: for a drug with few primary targets a shared-target match can reflect off-target / promiscuous binding rather than the same therapeutic mechanism — the phase ordering surfaces bona-fide therapeutics first.

34 molecules share ≥1 primary target. Top 34 by shared-target count:

Molecule	Source	Status	Shared targets
ERYTHROMYCIN	ChEMBL + PubChem	Phase 4 (approved)	CYP1B1
BERBERINE	ChEMBL	Phase 4 (approved)	CYP1B1
CANNABIDIOL	ChEMBL	Phase 4 (approved)	CYP1B1
CARVEDILOL	ChEMBL	Phase 4 (approved)	CYP1B1
ESTRADIOL	ChEMBL	Phase 4 (approved)	CYP1B1
INDACATEROL	ChEMBL	Phase 4 (approved)	CYP1B1
MELATONIN	ChEMBL	Phase 4 (approved)	CYP1B1
PAZOPANIB	ChEMBL	Phase 4 (approved)	CYP1B1
FLUDARABINE	ChEMBL + PubChem	Phase 3 (approved)	NT5E
BERGAPTEN	ChEMBL	Phase 3	CYP1B1
CANNABINOL	ChEMBL	Phase 3	CYP1B1
RESVERATROL	ChEMBL	Phase 3	CYP1B1
2-METHOXYESTRADIOL	ChEMBL	Phase 2	CYP1B1
BAICALEIN	ChEMBL	Phase 2	CYP1B1
ELLAGIC ACID	ChEMBL	Phase 2	NT5E
FLAVONE	ChEMBL	Phase 2	CYP1B1
FORMONONETIN	ChEMBL	Phase 2	CYP1B1
FTIVAZIDE	ChEMBL	Phase 2	NT5E
KHELLIN	ChEMBL	Phase 2	CYP1B1
LUTEOLIN	ChEMBL	Phase 2	CYP1B1
PINOCEMBRIN	ChEMBL	Phase 2	CYP1B1
PTEROSTILBENE	ChEMBL	Phase 2	CYP1B1
QUEMLICLUSTAT	ChEMBL	Phase 2	NT5E
adenosine	PubChem	Approved	NT5E
Aprepitant	PubChem	Approved	CYP1B1
Cenobamate	PubChem	Approved	CYP1B1
Clozapine	PubChem	Approved	CYP1B1
Glycyrrhizin	PubChem	Approved	CYP1B1
Hydroxychloroquine	PubChem	Approved	CYP1B1
Oritavancin	PubChem	Approved	CYP1B1
rifampin	PubChem	Approved	CYP1B1
Safinamide	PubChem	Approved	CYP1B1
Tecovirimat	PubChem	Approved	CYP1B1
Tiamulin	PubChem	Approved	NT5E