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Daidzein
Daidzein (7-hydroxy-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one) is a naturally occurring compound found exclusively in soybeans and other legumes and structurally belongs to a class of compounds known as isoflavones. Daidzein and other isoflavones are produced in plants through the phenylpropanoid pathway of secondary metabolism and are used as signal carriers, and defense responses to pathogenic attacks. In humans, recent research has shown the viability of using daidzein in medicine for menopausal relief, osteoporosis, blood cholesterol, and lowering the risk of some hormone-related cancers, and heart disease. Despite the known health benefits, the use of both puerarin and daidzein is limited by their poor bioavailability and low water solubility. Natural occurrence Daidzein and other isoflavone compounds, such as genistein, are present in a number of plants and herbs like kwao krua ('' Pueraria mirifica'') and kudzu. It can also be found in ''Maackia amurensis'' cell cultures ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isoflavones
Isoflavones are substituted derivatives of isoflavone, a type of naturally occurring isoflavonoids, many of which act as phytoestrogens in mammals. Isoflavones are produced almost exclusively by the members of the bean family, Fabaceae (Leguminosae). Although isoflavones and closely related phytoestrogens are sold as dietary supplements, there is little scientific evidence for either the safety of long-term supplementation or of health benefits from these compounds. Some studies have identified potential risks from high intake of isoflavones, such as in women with a history of breast cancer, but this concern has not been substantiated with high-quality clinical research. Organic chemistry and biosynthesis Isoflavone is an isomer of flavone, which is chromone substituted with a phenyl group in the 2-position. In isoflavone, the phenyl group is in the 4-position. Isoflavone is of liminted interest per se, but substituted derivatives are of nutritional interest. Substituted derivat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Genistein
Genistein (C15H10O5) is a naturally occurring compound that structurally belongs to a class of compounds known as isoflavones. It is described as an angiogenesis inhibitor and a phytoestrogen. It was first isolated in 1899 from the dyer's broom, ''Genista tinctoria''; hence, the chemical name. The compound structure was established in 1926, when it was found to be identical with that of prunetol. It was chemically synthesized in 1928. It has been shown to be the primary secondary metabolite of the ''Trifolium'' species and ''Glycine max L''. Natural occurrences Isoflavones such as genistein and daidzein are found in a number of plants including lupin, fava beans, soybeans, kudzu, and psoralea being the primary food source, also in the medicinal plants, ''Flemingia vestita'' and '' F. macrophylla'', and coffee. It can also be found in ''Maackia amurensis'' cell cultures. Biological effects Besides functioning as an antioxidant and anthelmintic, many isoflavones have been s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Soybean
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu and tofu skin are made. Fermented soy foods include soy sauce, fermented bean paste, nattō, and tempeh. Fat-free (defatted) soybean meal is a significant and cheap source of protein for animal feeds and many packaged meals. For example, soybean products, such as textured vegetable protein (TVP), are ingredients in many meat and dairy substitutes. Soybeans contain significant amounts of phytic acid, dietary minerals and B vitamins. Soy vegetable oil, used in food and industrial applications, is another product of processing the soybean crop. Soybean is the most important protein source for feed farm animals (that in turn yields animal protein for human consumption). Etymology The word "soy" originated as a corruption of the Cant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maackia Amurensis
''Maackia amurensis'', commonly known as the Amur maackia, is a species of tree in the family Fabaceae that can grow 15 metres (49 ft) tall. The species epithet and common names are from the Amur River region, where the tree originated; it occurs in northeastern China, Korea, and Russia. Only reaching about 15 feet (4.6 m) tall in the American midwest, Amur maackia tolerates severe dryness, cold and heavy soils. More interesting than the summer flowers are the unfolding buds in spring which appear silvery and showy like flowers with frost on them. Named for Karlovich Maack ( Richard Maack), a 19th-century Siberian explorer who discovered the tree in the Amur River region on the border between Siberia and China. Chemistry The isoflavones daidzein, retusin, genistein and formononetin and the pterocarpans maackiain and medicarpin can be found in ''M. amurensis'' cell cultures. The quinolizidine alkaloids tetrahydroleontidine and 11-epileontidane have been isolated from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kudzu
Kudzu (; also called Japanese arrowroot or Chinese arrowroot) is a group of climbing, coiling, and trailing deciduous perennial vines native to much of East Asia, Southeast Asia, and some Pacific islands, but invasive in many parts of the world, primarily North America. The vine densely climbs over other plants and trees and grows so rapidly that it smothers and kills them by blocking most of the sunlight. The plants are in the genus ''Pueraria'', in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The name is derived from the Japanese name for the plant East Asian arrowroot, (''Pueraria montana'' var. ''lobata''), . Where these plants are naturalized, they can be invasive and are considered noxious weeds. The plant is edible, but often sprayed with herbicides. Taxonomy and nomenclature The name kudzu describes one or more species in the genus ''Pueraria'' that are closely related, and some of them are considered to be varieties rather than full species. The morphological diff ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pueraria Mirifica
''Pueraria mirifica'', also known as กวาวเครือ Kwao Krua (among other names), is a plant found in northern and north eastern Thailand and Myanmar. In Thailand, the plant is known as “Kwao Krua Kao”, the 'Kao' meaning white which distinguishes ''Pueraria mirifica'' from other plants with tuberous roots also sharing the 'Kwao Krua' designation such as '' Butea superba'', commonly called Kwao Krua Deng (Red) and the 'black' and 'dull grey' Kwao Krua plants. The species was definitively identified as ''Pueraria mirifica'' in 1952. Dried and powdered, the tuberous root of ''Pueraria mirifica'' has a history of domestic consumption in Thailand in traditional folk medicine as a rejuvenating herb to promote youthfulness in both women and men and is used widely within the now government-regulated practice of traditional Thai medicine. History Evidence of the use of ''Pueraria mirifica'' can be definitively identified as early as the 13th Century AD. The ancient ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isoflavonoid
Isoflavonoids are a class of flavonoid phenolic compounds, many of which are biologically active. Isoflavonoids and their derivatives are sometimes referred to as phytoestrogens, as many isoflavonoid compounds have biological effects via the estrogen receptor. Medically, isoflavonoids and related compounds have been used in many dietary supplements but the medical and scientific community is generally skeptical of their use. Recently, some natural isoflavonoids have been identified as toxins, including biliatresone which may cause biliary atresia when infants are exposed to the plant product. The isoflavonoid group is broad, and includes many structurally similar groups, including: * isoflavones * isoflavanones * isoflavans * pterocarpans * rotenoids Isoflavonoids are derived from the flavonoid biosynthesis pathway via liquiritigenin or naringenin. Chemical makeup While flavonoids (in the narrow sense) have the 2-phenylchromen-4-one backbone, isoflavonoids have the 3-p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Liquiritigenin
Liquiritigenin is a flavanone that was isolated from ''Glycyrrhiza uralensis'', and is found in a variety of plants, including ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'' (licorice). It is an estrogenic compound which acts as a selective agonist of the ERβ subtype of the estrogen receptor (ER), though it is also reported to act as an ERα partial agonist at sufficient concentrations. It also has a choleretic effect. Liquiritigenin,NADPH:oxygen oxidoreductase (hydroxylating, aryl migration) is an enzyme that uses liquiritigenin, O2, NADPH and H+ to produce 2,7,4'-trihydroxyisoflavanone, H2O, and NADP+. See also * Menerba * Prinaberel (ERB-041) * Diarylpropionitrile (DPN) * WAY-200070 * PHTPP * (R,R)-Tetrahydrochrysene (''R'',''R'')-Tetrahydrochrysene ((''R'',''R'')-THC) is a drug used to study the estrogen receptors (ERs) in scientific research. It is an ERβ antagonist and an ERα agonist with 10-fold higher affinity for ERβ relative to ERα. (''R'',''R'' ... ((R,R)-THC) * Propylpyrazol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naringenin
Naringenin is a flavorless, colorless flavanone, a type of flavonoid. It is the predominant flavanone in grapefruit, and is found in a variety of fruits and herbs. Structure Naringenin has the skeleton structure of a flavanone with three hydroxy groups at the 4', 5, and 7 carbons. It may be found both in the aglycol form, naringenin, or in its glycosidic form, naringin, which has the addition of the disaccharide neohesperidose attached via a glycosidic linkage at carbon 7. Like the majority of flavanones, naringenin has a single chiral center at carbon 2, although the optical purity is variable. Racemization of S(-)-naringenin has been shown to occur fairly quickly. Sources and bioavailability Naringenin and its glycoside has been found in a variety of herbs and fruits, including grapefruit, bergamot, sour orange, tart cherries, tomatoes, cocoa, Greek oregano, water mint, as well as in beans. Ratios of naringenin to naringin vary among sources, as do enantiomeric ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glycitein
Glycitein is an O-methylated isoflavone which accounts for 5-10% of the total isoflavones in soy food products. Glycitein is a phytoestrogen with weak estrogenic activity, comparable to that of the other soy isoflavones. Glycitin (glycitein 7-''O''-glucoside) can be transformed to glycetein by human intestinal flora Gut microbiota, gut microbiome, or gut flora, are the microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses that live in the digestive tracts of animals. The gastrointestinal metagenome is the aggregate of all the genomes of the gut mic .... References O-methylated isoflavones {{aromatic-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shikimate Pathway
The shikimate pathway (shikimic acid pathway) is a seven-step metabolic pathway used by bacteria, archaea, fungi, algae, some protozoans, and plants for the biosynthesis of folates and aromatic amino acids (tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine). This pathway is not found in animal cells. The seven enzymes involved in the shikimate pathway are DAHP synthase, 3-dehydroquinate synthase, 3-dehydroquinate dehydratase, shikimate dehydrogenase, shikimate kinase, EPSP synthase, and chorismate synthase. The pathway starts with two substrates, phosphoenol pyruvate and erythrose-4-phosphate, and ends with chorismate, a substrate for the three aromatic amino acids. The fifth enzyme involved is the shikimate kinase, an enzyme that catalyzes the ATP-dependent phosphorylation of shikimate to form shikimate 3-phosphate (shown in the figure below). Shikimate 3-phosphate is then coupled with phosphoenol pyruvate to give 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate via the enzyme 5-enolpyruvylshikimat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate, abbreviated NADP or, in older notation, TPN (triphosphopyridine nucleotide), is a cofactor used in anabolic reactions, such as the Calvin cycle and lipid and nucleic acid syntheses, which require NADPH as a reducing agent ('hydrogen source'). It is used by all forms of cellular life. NADPH is the reduced form of NADP. NADP differs from NAD by the presence of an additional phosphate group on the 2' position of the ribose ring that carries the adenine moiety. This extra phosphate is added by NAD+ kinase and removed by NADP+ phosphatase. Biosynthesis NADP In general, NADP+ is synthesized before NADPH is. Such a reaction usually starts with NAD+ from either the de-novo or the salvage pathway, with NAD+ kinase adding the extra phosphate group. ADP-ribosyl cyclase allows for synthesis from nicotinamide in the salvage pathway, and NADP+ phosphatase can convert NADPH back to NADH to maintain a balance. Some forms of the NAD+ kina ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
