Abstract
Phytoestrogens possess beneficial effects in the management of menopausal symptoms with few side effects. Soybeans are major natural sources of isoflavones, with high estrogen receptor (ER)-β selectivity. The objective of this study therefore was to develop a solvent-mediated extraction method for soybean germinated embryos (SGEs) and to investigate the biological activities of the extract. Ethanolic extraction yielded the SGE extract (SGEE), which had a unique composition of biologically active aglycones and soyasaponins. SGEE showed a proliferative effect in MCF7 cells and ERβ-selective transcriptional activities in human embryonic kidney cells. In addition, oral administration of SGEE to ovariectomized rats resulted in the induction of ERβ and estrogen-responsive genes in the uterus and a decrease in tail skin temperature and uterus weight. Our data suggest that germination and ethanolic extraction are effective measures for producing isoflavone-rich food supplements, which may be useful as alternative menopausal hormone therapy.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
Supplementary Material
Please find the following supplemental material available below.
For Open Access articles published under a Creative Commons License, all supplemental material carries the same license as the article it is associated with.
For non-Open Access articles published, all supplemental material carries a non-exclusive license, and permission requests for re-use of supplemental material or any part of supplemental material shall be sent directly to the copyright owner as specified in the copyright notice associated with the article.
