Ononin is an isoflavone glycoside, the 7-O-ò-<small>D</small>-glucopyranoside of formononetin, which in turn is the 4'-O-methyl (4'-methoxy) derivative of the parent isoflavone daidzein.
Ononin is a major isoflavone found in a number of plants and herbs like soybean, Astragalus root, and Glycyrrhiza uralensis.
Intestinal bacterial metabolic pathways may include demethylation and deglycosylation. It follows that formation of formononetin and/or daidzein is possible.
An in vitro anti-inflammatory effect on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation has been demonstrated in one study.