Phytoestrogens derived from soybeans reverse endothelial dysfunction in a number of animal models of systemic vascular disease. Based on these studies, we hypothesized that phytoestrogens would reverse chronic hypoxia-induced endothelial dysfunction in rat pulmonary arteries. To test this hypothesis we examined the effect of genistein, the major phytoestrogen found in soybeans, on carbachol-ind...

Ohwi (Leguminosae), has been clinically used as an antipyretic and spasmolytic agent in traditional Chinese medicine. Many Chinese herbal formulas contain Pueraria root as their major ingredient; most well-known being “Kakkon-To” (in Japanese), which is indicated for fever and chills with stiffness or rigidity of the neck and upper back. The constituents of Pueraria root have been studied exten...

The commentary by Boettger-Tong et al. (1) described the authors' experience with a commercially available, unidentified rodent diet with high estrogenic activity and the impact of this diet on the normal in vivo uterotropic response of ovariec-tomized 30-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats to exogenously administered estradiol. The purpose of this letter is to corroborate the authors' findings; to rep...

Isoflavones are reported to have an estrogenic activity to prevent prostate cancer. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the factors influencing the absorption and metabolism of isoflavones using detailed and precise dietary information. We evaluated the relationship between the amount of intake of soybean isoflavones in the diet and its serum levels in 88 hospitalized patients (22 with prosta...

8-Prenylnaringenin (8-PN) is a phytoestrogen with the highest estrogenic activity. The objective of the present study was to confirm the superiority of 8-PN on bone metabolisms and the estrogen receptor (ER) subtype mediating effects of 8-PN. The osteoblast MC3T3-E1 and osteoclast-like cell line RAW264.7 were treated with 17β-estradiol (10(-8) mol/L), genistein (10(-5) mol/L), daidzein (10(-5) ...

Pueraria lobata is a rich source of isoflavonoids. The detection and identification of isoflavonoid components from Pueraria radix (RP), callus and cell cultures, is very important for the safest and most effective use of kudzu as a medicinal plant, and for the studies on quantitative analysis and secondary metabolism of isoflavonoids in vitro cultures. Liquid chromatography is coupled with neg...

If soy isoflavones are to be effective in preventing or treating a range of diseases, they must be bioavailable, and thus understanding factors which may alter their bioavailability needs to be elucidated. However, to date there is little information on whether the pharmacokinetic profile following ingestion of a defined dose is influenced by the food matrix in which the isoflavone is given or ...

Isoflavones are found in leguminous plants, especially soybeans. They have a structural similarity to natural estrogens, which enables them to bind to estrogen receptors and elicit biological activities similar to natural estrogens. They have been suggested to be beneficial for the prevention and therapy of hormone-dependent diseases. After soy products are consumed, the bacteria of the intesti...

The aims of this study were to investigate the impact of soybean isoflavones (SIFs) on the cellular oxidative stress levels in hormone-sensitive type (LNCap) and hormone-insensitive type (DU145) of prostate cancer, and to elucidate the main components and their roles in the transformation of androgen dependency (AD)/ androgen independency (AI). The LNCap and DU145 cells were treated with differ...