Phytoestrogens as Pharma Foods

Abstract

Phytoestrogens are a diverse group of plant-derived compounds that structurally or functionally mimic mammalian estrogens and show potential benefits for human health. They can serve as potential alternatives to the synthetic selective estrogen receptor modulators which are currently being used in hormone replacement therapy. Estrogens play many important physiological roles in men and women. In women, life is severely affected by a variety of estrogen-related conditions such as osteoporosis, cognitive and cardiovascular disease, increased risk of breast cancer and other symptoms that decrease the overall quality of life. Phytoestrogens are effective in maintaining bone mineral density, prevent bone loss, and help in the prevention and/or treatment of such health related problems. They can be classified as flavonoids, isoflavonoids, coumestans, stilbenes, lignans and terpenoids. The main isoflavones, genistein and daidzein found in soybean, can exist as glucosides or as aglycones, and are readily hydrolyzed in the gut to their aglycones. The aglycones are easily transported across intestinal epithelial cells. Terpenoids (ferutinine, tschimgine, and tschimganidine) found in the Umbelliferae family have estrogenic activities. The main dietary source of phytoestrogenic stilbenes is trans-resveratrol from red wine and peanuts. Plant-derived foods may be an adequate source for a variety of phytoestrogens capable of producing a range of pharmacological effects and protection from various life threatening diseases. This article provides the comprehensive information about the main groups of phytoestrogens, their food as well as herbal or botanical sources, potential health benefits and probable health hazards.

Distillation Delayed Time on The Characteristics of Lemon Peel Oil and Activity against Staphylococcus aureus

“…Meanwhile, interaction between dilution and concentration can be shown in the A4B2 treatment (100% + 10 -3 ) by obtaining the strongest inhibitory level with the highest inhibitory zone diameter at 21.375 mm (figure 4). This study was similar to [2], as the inhibitory level of lemon peel methanolic extract against S. aureus at 100 µL concentration was 20.6 mm, while lemon extract through 50% ethanol extraction obtained smaller inhibitory zone at 14 mm than lemon peel oil at 16 mm [18]. This study was also supported by [19]…”

Estrogen and Glycemic Homeostasis: The Fundamental Role of Nuclear Estrogen Receptors ESR1/ESR2 in Glucose Transporter GLUT4 Regulation

“…Phytoestrogens are non-steroidal natural compounds produced by plants. There are several classes of phytoestrogens spanning innumerous compounds (for a review, see [ 109 , 110 ]). These compounds are chemically and structurally similar to E2, providing them with the capacity to bind in both ESR1 and ESR2 [ 111 ], although their affinity for ESR1 or ESR2 can be highly variable.…”

“…After binding to ESR1 or ESR2, phytoestrogens can activate or block estrogen receptor ligand-binding domains, thus displaying estrogenic or antiestrogenic effects, respectively [ 110 , 111 ]. It is important to observe that some compounds are found in large amounts in some food sources, of which we ingest only small amounts (for example, nuts, seeds and spices); thus, their relative participation in our regular diets may be low (for a review, see [ 109 ]).…”

Relationship Between Dietary Phytoestrogens and Endogenous Estrogen: A Review

“…Because of their structural similarity with endogenous estrogen, 17β-estradiol (E2), phytoestrogens may exert estrogenic or antiestrogenic actions by interacting with estrogen binding sites 4,15,16 .…”

“…Phytoestrogens are bioactive substances found in a large variety of fruits and vegetables. They belong to a wide group of chemical compounds such as isoflavones, coumestans and lignans [1][2][3][4] . The assessment of the benefits and the risks of phytoestrogens is a complex task due to inter-individual variation and the complexity in the absorption and metabolism 5 .…”