NRP50

16: Phyto-estrogens in food, food complements and medicinal plants: content, pharmacological relevance and metabolic profile.

Isolation and pharmacological study of phyto-estrogens in dietary and medicinal plants.

It has been observed that dietary products of plant origin and medicinal plants can cause endocrine disturbances. The aim of this project is to evaluate in particular the estrogenic effect of these plants and then to isolate and chemically characterize the compounds responsible for this disruption.

Hostettmann Kurt , Université de Lausanne
e-mail:kurt.hostettmann@ipp.unil.ch

Background

Several clinical studies have demonstrated that various compounds present in food and plants show a disruptive effect on the human endocrine system. These molecules of plant origin which act on human hormonal systems are called phyto-estrogens. Their chemical structures differ from the natural steroidal hormones in the human body.
Soybeans and soy-based food are the most illustrative example, as they are nowadays prescribed as hormone replacement therapy for menopausal women.
Clinical and epidemiological trials are still ongoing to differentiate clearly between the beneficial effects of phyto-estrogens (reduction of osteoporosis and the risk of atherosclerosis and Alzheimer's disease, regulation of menopausal symptoms and prevention of certain cancers) and the detrimental ones. These have recently cast new doubt on the efficacy of hormone replacement therapies (development of hormone-dependent cancers).

Aim

This project concentrates on the study of phyto-estrogens, their isolation, their chemical characterization and their detailed pharmacological activity. A classification of these compounds linked to the botanical origin of the plants will help in determining their distribution in the plant kingdom, in selecting new potential sources of phyto-estrogens and, finally, in discovering new active compounds so that their effects and mode of action can be studied.

Significance

During the last few years the market has been invaded by new types of plant-based and food supplements. Many of them claim to contain phyto-estrogens and to be able to prevent or even cure diseases such as breast or prostate cancers, osteoporosis and cardiovascular disorders. Efforts to investigate these products and to study their effects are of major importance. Our study will help to identify these compounds of plant origin and to understand their mode of action in the human endocrine system.