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Estrogenic flavonoids and their molecular mechanisms of action. J Nutr Biochem 2023; 114:109250. [PMID: 36509337 DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2022.109250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Flavonoids are a major group of phytoestrogens associated with physiological effects, and ecological and social impacts. Although the estrogenic activity of flavonoids was reported by researchers in the fields of medical, environmental and food studies, their molecular mechanisms of action have not been comprehensively reviewed. The estrogenic activity of the respective classes of flavonoids, anthocyanidins/anthocyanins, 2-arylbenzofurans/3-arylcoumarins/α-methyldeoxybenzoins, aurones/chalcones/dihydrochalcones, coumaronochromones, coumestans, flavans/flavan-3-ols/flavan-4-ols, flavanones/dihydroflavonols, flavones/flavonols, homoisoflavonoids, isoflavans, isoflavanones, isoflavenes, isoflavones, neoflavonoids, oligoflavonoids, pterocarpans/pterocarpenes, and rotenone/rotenoids, was summarized through a comprehensive literature search, and their structure-activity relationship, biological activities, signaling pathways, and applications were discussed. Although the respective classes of flavonoids contained at least one chemical mimicking estrogen, the mechanisms varied, such as those with estrogenic, anti-estrogenic, non-estrogenic, and biphasic activities, and additional activities through crosstalk/bypassing, which exert biological activities through cell signaling pathways. Such mechanistic variations of estrogen action are not limited to flavonoids and are observed among other broad categories of chemicals, thus this group of chemicals can be termed as the "estrogenome". This review article focuses on the connection of estrogen action mainly between the outer and the inner environments, which represent variations of chemicals and biological activities/signaling pathways, respectively, and form the basis to understand their applications. The applications of chemicals will markedly progress due to emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence for precision medicine, which is also true of the study of the estrogenome including estrogenic flavonoids.
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Sehl ME, Ganz PA. Potential Mechanisms of Age Acceleration Caused by Estrogen Deprivation: Do Endocrine Therapies Carry the Same Risks? JNCI Cancer Spectr 2018; 2:pky035. [PMID: 31360862 PMCID: PMC6649786 DOI: 10.1093/jncics/pky035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Revised: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 06/22/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Longer duration of endocrine therapy decreases breast cancer recurrence and mortality, but these benefits need to be weighed against potential risks to overall health. Notable side effects of endocrine therapy include cataracts, uterine cancer, thromboembolic events, osteoporosis and fracture risk, chronic musculoskeletal complaints, as well as vaginal dryness and discharge, and vasomotor symptoms. Estrogen deprivation in healthy women younger than 50 years undergoing bilateral oophorectomy has been shown to accelerate the development of diseases related to aging, including coronary artery disease, cardiac arrhythmias, stroke, dementia, and osteoporosis, raising concern that even less dramatic modulation of estrogen homeostasis may adversely affect health outcomes. Diminished available estrogen at the cellular and molecular level may facilitate mechanisms that underlie the aging process, often termed the hallmarks of aging. In this review, we describe estrogen's role in normal physiology across tissues, review the effects of estrogen deprivation on health outcomes in the setting of both surgical and natural menopause, and examine the hallmarks of aging with attention to the effects of estrogen and estrogen blockade on each molecular mechanism underlying the aging process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E Sehl
- Medicine, Hematology-Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.,Biomathematics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Patricia A Ganz
- Medicine, Hematology-Oncology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.,Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
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Al-Shboul OA, Nazzal MS, Mustafa AG, Al-Dwairi AN, Alqudah MA, Abu Omar A, Alfaqih MA, Alsalem MI. Estrogen relaxes gastric muscle cells via a nitric oxide- and cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent mechanism: A sex-associated differential effect. Exp Ther Med 2018; 16:1685-1692. [PMID: 30186388 PMCID: PMC6122185 DOI: 10.3892/etm.2018.6406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Various gastrointestinal (GI) disorders have a higher prevalence in women than in men. In addition, estrogen has been demonstrated to have an inhibitory effect on the contractility of GI smooth muscle. Although increased plasma estrogen levels have been implicated in GI disorders, the role of gastric estrogen receptor (ER) in these sex-specific differences remains to be fully elucidated. The present study was designed to investigate the sex-associated differences in the expression of the two ER isoforms, ERα and ERβ, and the effect of estrogen on gastric muscle contraction via the nitric oxide (NO)/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) pathway. Experiments were performed on single gastric smooth muscle cells (GSMCs) isolated from male and female Sprague Dawley rats. The effect of acetylcholine (ACh), a muscarinic agonist, on the contraction of GSMCs was measured via scanning micrometry in the presence or absence of 1 µM 17β-estradiol (E2), an agonist to the majority of ERs, 1,3,5-tris(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-propyl-1H-pyrazole (PPT), an ERα agonist, or diarylpropionitrile (DPN), an ERβ agonist. The protein expression levels of ER subtypes in GSMCs were measured using a specifically designed ELISA. GSMCs from female rats had a higher expression of ERα and ERβ protein compared with GSMCs from males. ACh induced less contraction in female that in male GSMCs. Pre-treatment of GSMCs with E2 reduced the contraction of GSMCs from both sexes, but to a greater extent in those from females. PPT and DPN inhibited ACh-induced contraction in GSMCs from females. Furthermore, E2 increased NO and cGMP levels in GSMCs from males and females; however, higher levels were measured in females. Of note, pre-incubation of female GSMCs with Nω-nitro-L-arginine, a NO synthase inhibitor, or 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one, a guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, reduced the inhibitory effect of estrogen on GSMC contraction. In conclusion, estrogen relaxes GSMCs via an NO/cGMP-dependent mechanism, and the reduced contraction in GSMCs from females by estrogen may be associated with the sex-associated increased expression of ERα and ERβ, and greater production of NO and cGMP, compared with that in GSMCs from males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Othman A Al-Shboul
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
| | - Mona S Nazzal
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
| | - Ayman G Mustafa
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
| | - Ahmed N Al-Dwairi
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
| | - Mohammad A Alqudah
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
| | - Amal Abu Omar
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
| | - Mahmoud A Alfaqih
- Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
| | - Mohammad I Alsalem
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University, Amman 11942, Jordan
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Leung L, Bhakta A, Cotangco K, Al-Nakkash L. Genistein stimulates jejunum chloride secretion via an Akt-mediated pathway in intact female mice. Cell Physiol Biochem 2015; 35:1317-25. [PMID: 25721972 PMCID: PMC4386721 DOI: 10.1159/000373953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Background/Aims We have previously shown that daily subcutaneous injections with the naturally occurring phytoestrogen genistein (600 mg genistein/kg body weight/day, 600G) results in a significantly increased basal intestinal chloride, Cl−, secretion (Isc, a measure of transepithelial secretion) in intact C57BL/6J female mice after 1-week of treatment, compared to controls (DMSO vehicle injected). Removal of endogenous estrogen via ovariectomy (OVX) had no effect on the 600G-mediated increase in basal Isc. Methods Given the estrogen-like characteristics of genistein, we compared the effects of daily estradiol (E2) injections (10 mg E2/kg body weight/day, 10E2) on basal Isc in intact and OVX mice. In intact mice, 10E2 was without effect on basal Isc, however, in OVX mice, 10E2 significantly increased basal Isc (mimicked 600G). The goal of the current study was to characterize the intracellular signaling pathways responsible for mediating 600G- or 10E2-stimulated increases in basal Isc in intact female or OVX mice. Results We measured total protein expression in isolated segments of jejunum using western blot from the following six groups of mice; intact or OVX with; 600G, 10E2 or control. The proteins of interest were: Akt, p-Akt, p-PDK1, p-PTEN, p-c-Raf, p-GSK-3β, rap-1 and ERK1/2. All blots were normalized to GAPDH levels (n = 6–18/group). Conclusion These data suggest that the presence of the endogenous sex steroid, estrogen, modifies the intracellular signaling pathway required to mediate Cl− secretion when the intestine is exposed to exogenous 600G or E2. These studies may have relevance for designing pharmacological tools for women with intestinal chloride secretory dysfunctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lana Leung
- Department of Physiology, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, USA
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Böttner M, Thelen P, Jarry H. Estrogen receptor beta: tissue distribution and the still largely enigmatic physiological function. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2014; 139:245-51. [PMID: 23523517 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2013.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2013] [Revised: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 03/12/2013] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED In 1996, the molecular biology of E2 had to be reevaluated: in an effort to identify novel nuclear receptors or unknown isoforms of existing receptors Kuiper and colleague described the expression of a novel subtype of the estrogen receptor (ER) in rat prostate and ovary. Upon this pioneering discovery the already known ER was renamed ERα while the newly described ER was termed ERβ. In this review an attempt is made to summarize the current knowledge regarding the expression and function of ERβ in selected reproductive and non-reproductive organs under physiological conditions. The data suggest that ERβ may be considered as a dominant-negative regulator of ERα modulating transcriptional responses to estrogens. The ratio of ER α vs. β. within a cell may determine the cell sensitivity to estrogens and its biological responses to the hormone. CONCLUSION It is not the ligand, it is the multiplicity of receptors which determines the plethora of estrogen actions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 'Phytoestrogens'.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Böttner
- Department of Anatomy, University of Kiel, Germany
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Owen SJ, Massa HM, Rose'Meyer RB. Dietary phytoestrogen improves relaxant responses to 17-β-estradiol in aged but not ovariectomised rat bladders. NAUNYN-SCHMIEDEBERG'S ARCHIVES OF PHARMACOLOGY 2013; 386:917-28. [PMID: 23793100 DOI: 10.1007/s00210-013-0892-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2012] [Accepted: 06/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the effect of age, ovariectomy and dietary phytoestrogen ingestion on 17-β-estradiol-mediated relaxant responses and messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of oestrogen receptor subtypes in the rat isolated bladder. Female Wistar rats (8 weeks) were anaesthetised, and the ovaries were removed (ovx) or left intact (sham). Rats were fed either normal rat chow (soy, phytoestrogens) or a non-soy (phytoestrogen free) diet. Isolated bladder from rats aged 12, 24 or 52 weeks were pre-contracted with 3 μM carbachol prior to obtaining a concentration response curve to 17-β-estradiol. Protein and mRNA expression of the oestrogen receptor subtypes was completed using immunohistochemistry and real-time PCR, respectively. Relatively moderate relaxant responses to 17-β-estradiol were observed in bladders from all age and treatment groups. However, in soy-fed sham 52-week-old rats, the bladder exhibited enhanced relaxant responses to 17-β-estradiol when compared to tissues from other age-matched rat treatment groups (P < 0.05). In bladders from female rats, the mRNA and protein expression of oestrogen receptors β was significantly greater than the expression of the oestrogen receptor α. Oestrogen receptor α mRNA expression declined with age (P < 0.05), whereas oestrogen receptor β expression did not change in any of the treatment groups (P > 0.05). Diet, overiectomy or age did not alter the protein expression of either oestrogen receptor subtype in the bladder (P > 0.05). While a soy diet improved relaxant effects to the 17-β-estradiol with age, it did not alter relaxant responses in bladders from ovariectomised rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzzanne J Owen
- School of Medical Sciences, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Southport, QLD, 4222, Australia
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Foster PA. Oestrogen and colorectal cancer: mechanisms and controversies. Int J Colorectal Dis 2013; 28:737-49. [PMID: 23319136 DOI: 10.1007/s00384-012-1628-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/11/2012] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
AIM The role of oestrogen metabolism and action in colorectal cancer (CRC) is controversial. An extensive review of the current literature, encompassing epidemiological evidence, systemic and peripheral oestrogen concentrations, 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17β-HSD) and aromatase in CRC, steroid sulphatase (STS)/oestrone sulphotransferase (EST) and in vitro and in vivo genomic effects was therefore undertaken. METHODS A literature search (key words: colorectal cancer, oestrogen, oestrogen receptor, 17β-HSD, STS, organic anion transporter) was performed using Embase, Medline, and Pubmed and papers were evaluated on scientific relevance on an individual basis. RESULTS Epidemiological data highlights that premenopausal women, or postmenopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy, are significantly less likely than males to develop CRC. This implies that oestrogen signalling is most likely involved in CRC physiology and aetiology. Little is known about oestrogen metabolism in the colon. However, the expression of 17β-HSD, STS, and EST, enzymes involved in oestrogen metabolism, have shown prognostic significance. Evidence also suggests that protective effects are modulated through oestrogen receptor beta, although which metabolite of oestrogen, oestradiol (E2) or oestrone (E1), is more active remains undefined. To complicate matters, the changes in the peripheral ratios of these enzymes, oestrogens and receptors most likely influences CRC progression. CONCLUSION Epidemiological evidence, now supported by in vitro and in vivo studies, strongly associates oestrogen action and metabolism with CRC. Initially protective against CRC, once developed, results suggests that oestrogens increase proliferation. Consequently, hormone-ablation therapy, already successful against breast and prostate cancer, may be effective against CRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Foster
- Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
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Macdonald RS, Wagner K. Influence of dietary phytochemicals and microbiota on colon cancer risk. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2012; 60:6728-6735. [PMID: 22632581 DOI: 10.1021/jf204230r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in the United States. Lifestyle and dietary patterns influence colon cancer risk both positively and negatively. Among the dietary factors, several plant-derived compounds have been found to afford colon cancer protection. These compounds potentially influence all aspects of colonic cellular regulation and develop complex interrelationships with the colonic microbiome. Increasing understanding of the role of microorganisms in determining the colonic environment has led to awareness of this important interrelationship among dietary factors and the microbial population. Plant-derived polyphenols are active mediators of cellular events, target key carcinogenic pathways, and modulate colonic microbial populations. In turn, the colonic microorganisms metabolize dietary compounds and mediate cellular events. In addition, the role of estrogen receptors in colon cancer and the importance of dietary components that mediate estrogen receptor-β are increasingly being discovered. Hence, dietary bioactive compounds and the intestinal microbiota create a complex milieu that directly affects the carcinogenic events of the colon. These relationships must be carefully characterized in future research to provide dietary recommendations that will reduce colon cancer risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth S Macdonald
- Food Science and Human Nutrition, Iowa State University , Ames, Iowa 50011, United States
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Attia DMA, Ederveen AGH. Opposing roles of ERα and ERβ in the genesis and progression of adenocarcinoma in the rat ventral prostate. Prostate 2012; 72:1013-22. [PMID: 22025007 DOI: 10.1002/pros.21507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2011] [Accepted: 09/29/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is a common malignancy in men and although hormone ablation therapy is effective, men develop hormone resistance. There is need for therapies applicable earlier, such as treatment of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). Estrogens besides androgens play a role in prostate cancer pathogenesis via two receptors ERα and ERβ and both receptors are thought to play different, opposing, roles with ERα having proliferative properties and ERβ having anti-proliferative properties. To differentiate between the roles both receptors play in prostate cancer an ERα and an ERβ agonist, ERA-45 and ERB-26, have been tested in a rodent model for prostate carcinogenesis. METHODS The influence of ERα on prostate cancer progression was studied in intact male rats treated with testosterone in combination with the ERα agonist, ERA-45 for either a long-term (20-week) period or a shorter term (6-week) period. The ERβ agonist was tested in the shorter term model in intact male rats treated with testosterone in combination with the ERα agonist, ERA-45, followed by administration of the ERβ agonist, ERB-26, during the last 2 weeks. RESULTS Treatment of rats with testosterone in combination with ERA-45 induced mild PIN lesions at 6 weeks and severe precancerous PIN lesions at 20 weeks. The ERβ agonist prevented the onset of PIN lesions at 6 weeks. Moreover, prostate epithelial cell apoptosis was increased and proliferation was decreased. CONCLUSION These findings confirm the opposing roles ERα and ERβ play in prostate carcinogenesis and suggest a therapeutic opportunity of ERβ for treating precancerous PIN lesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- D M A Attia
- Women's Health Department, MSD, Oss, The Netherlands.
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Bulzomi P, Galluzzo P, Bolli A, Leone S, Acconcia F, Marino M. The pro-apoptotic effect of quercetin in cancer cell lines requires ERβ-dependent signals. J Cell Physiol 2012; 227:1891-8. [PMID: 21732360 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.22917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Quercetin has potentially beneficial effects on disease prevention, including cancer. An intriguing issue regarding the mechanisms of action of quercetin is the ability of this drug to modulate estrogen receptor (ER) activities. In a previous study, we demonstrated that quercetin elicited apoptosis through an ERα-dependent mechanism. However, the contribution of ERβ in quercetin-induced apoptosis remains elusive. Here, we report that quercetin, at nutritionally relevant concentrations, mimicked the 17β-estradiol (E2)-induced apoptotic effect in both ERβ1-transfected HeLa and in ERβ1-containing DLD-1 colon cancer cell lines by inducing the activation of p38. p38 activation is responsible for pro-apoptotic activation of caspase-3 and the cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Notably, no inactivation or downregulation of the survival kinases (i.e., AKT and ERK1/2) or the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 was observed after quercetin stimulation. On the contrary, quercetin acted similarly to E2 by increasing the levels of the oncosuppressor protein PTEN and by impeding ERβ-dependent cyclin D1 promoter activity, which subsequently resulted in the transcription of the estrogen-responsive element remaining unchanged. As a whole, these data indicate that quercetin mimics the E2 effects in the presence of ERβ1, thus maintaining its anti-carcinogenic potential. In addition, the quercetin pro-apoptotic action in the presence of ERα may render it as a dual-sided protective agent against E2-related cancer in the reduction of tumour growth in organs that express ERα and/or ERβ.
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