Phytoestrogens have been investigated as natural alternatives to hormone replacement therapy and their potential as chemopreventive agents. We investigated the effects of equol, genistein, and coumestrol on cell growth in fully estrogenized MCF7 cells, simulating the perimenopausal state, and long-term estrogen-deprived MCF7:5C cells, which simulate the postmenopausal state of a woman after yea...

Phytoestrogens exert pleiotropic effects on cellular signaling and show some beneficial effects on estrogen-dependent diseases. However, due to activation/inhibition of the estrogen receptors ERa or ERb, these compounds may induce or inhibit estrogen action and, therefore, have the potential to disrupt estrogen signaling. We performed a comprehensive analysis and potency comparison of phytoestr...

Most Western countries face high and increasing rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Each year, heart disease kills more people than cancer. The increasing risk of CVD in woman after postmenopausal changes suggests that estrogen has cardioprotective effects. It is well known that estrogen binds to estrogen receptors (ER) and mediates its effects via different pathways and thereby influences v...

We have previously shown that a number of naturally occurring phytoestrogens and derivatives were effective to induce some measures of neuroprotective responses but at a much lower magnitude than those induced by the female gonadal estrogen 17beta-estradiol. In the present study, we sought to investigate whether a combination of select phytoestrogens could enhance neural responses without affec...

Endocrine disrupters include a broad spectrum of chemicals such as industrial chemicals, natural estrogens and androgens, synthetic estrogens and androgens. Phytoestrogens are widely present in diet and food supplements; mycoestrogens are frequently found in grains. As human beings and animals are commonly exposed to phytoestrogens and mycoestrogens in diet and environment, it is important to u...

Phytoestrogens represent a diverse group of non-steroidal natural products, which seem to have some oestrogenic effects and are often marketed as food supplements. Population exposed to phytoestrogens is potentially increasing, in part because an unfavourable risk-benefit profile of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for prolonged treatments (e.g., osteoporosis prevention) highlighted by the pub...

Exposure to estrogenic compounds may pose a developmental hazard to infants. Soy products, which contain the phytoestrogens, genistein and daidzein, are becoming increasingly popular as infant foods. To begin to evaluate the potential of the phytoestrogens in these products to affect infants, we measured total genistein and daidzein contents of commercially available soy-based infant formulas, ...

Background The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of the phytoestrogens in relieving and/or suppressing the specific somatic-vegetative symptoms of menopause with those of the hormone therapy, administered in small doses. Methods The study was conducted in the County Clinical Emergency Hospital Oradea - Obstetric-Gynecological Ambulatory, and in private obstetrics-gynecology cab...

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays a key role in tumor progression. The cells undergoing EMT upregulate the expression of cell motility-related proteins and show enhanced migration and invasion. The hallmarks of EMT in cancer cells include changed cell morphology and increased metastatic capabilities in cell migration and invasion. Therefore, prevention of EMT is an important tool fo...