PHARMACOLOGY:  Hesperidin is a flavanone found in citrus fruits (such as oranges, lemons or pummelo fruits) that has antioxidant properties in laboratory studies. Inbasic research, it has biological effects on rats and mice, such as cholesterol reduction, blood pressure reduction and anti-inflammatory abilities.

In numerous studies, doxorubicin, a cancer chemotherapeutic, was not as damaging to cardiac tissues when hesperidin was applied. Pre-treatment with hesperidin prior to doxorubicin also decreased serum nitric oxide levels due to inhibition of nitric oxide synthase. Additionally, hesperidin protected cell integrity as shown in this one study by reduction in the number of cells undergoing apoptosis induced by doxorubicin.