RESEARCH PAPER
Cellular uptake of soy-derived phytoestrogens in vitro and in human whole blood
 
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1
Laboratory of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University-UGent, Gent, Belgium
 
2
Laboratory for Experimental Cancerology, Department of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium
 
3
Department of Uro-gynaecology, Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium
 
 
Corresponding author
Arne Heyerick   

Laboratory of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ghent University-UGent, Harelbekestraat 72, 9000 Gent, Belgium.
 
 
J Pre Clin Clin Res. 2008;2(1):64-70
 
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Epidemiological studies comparing typical Western and traditional Eastern lifestyles indicate that dietary intake of soyderived phytoestrogens, including genistein, daidzein, and equol, may have significant health protective effects on hormone-dependent cancers, osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases. Phytoestrogens have been demonstrated to exert varying effects depending on tissue, endogenous hormone concentrations, and receptor types. Thus, a detailed understanding of the biodistribution and bioavailability of specific phytoestrogens is required in order to predict the subsequent biologic activities. In this study we aimed to investigate the cellular uptake of these soy-derived phytoestrogens in different cell types, including the mammary MCF-7/6 and MDAB-MB 231 cell lines, the ovarian Ishikawa Var-I cell lines and in murine adipocyte clusters. Furthermore, the biodistribution between serum and cell fraction was also investigated in human whole blood. Equol generally shows a higher cellular uptake when compared with genistein and daidzein. Therefore, equol may be more potent with respect to its relative bioactivity, which is corroborated by the observations of specific health effects associated with the equol-producer phenotype.
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