Prospects of and limitations to the clinical applications of genistein.

Prospects of and limitations to the clinical applications of genistein. Discov Med. 2019 May;27(149):177-188 Authors: Tang H, Wang S, Li X, Zou T, Huang X, Zhang W, Chen Y, Yang C, Pan Q, Liu HF Abstract Genistein is an isoflavone derived from soy-rich products, which is known to exhibit several beneficial biological effects, such as anti-tumor activity, improvement of glucose metabolism, and reduction of the frequency of peri-menopausal hot flashes, and thus has potential for clinical application. Certain limitations and side effects, such as low bioavailability, biological estrogenic activity, and detrimental effects on thyroid function, have restricted its clinical applications to some extent. Recently, it has been reported that fermentation, use of micromicelles, and modification of its chemical structure can enhance the bioavailability of genistein. Moreover, the modification of its molecular structure may also eliminate its biological estrogenic activity and adverse effects on thyroid function. In this review, we summarize the clinical application prospects and limitations of genistein, as well as the plausible solutions to overcome its low bioavailability, phytoestrogenic activity, and adverse effects on thyroid function. PMID: 31361980 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Discovery Medicine - Category: Research Tags: Discov Med Source Type: research