Glycitin (glycitein 7-''O''-glucoside) is an

isoflavone 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) ...

found in soy, and remains to various degrees in soy products like

tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super f ...

, soymilk and soy sauce. Although glycitin has its own health associated properties (below), it can be transformed to

glycitein Glycitein is an O-methylated isoflavone which accounts for 5-10% of the total isoflavones in soy food products. Glycitein is a phytoestrogen A phytoestrogen is a plant-derived xenoestrogen (see estrogen) not generated within the endocrine sy ...

by human intestinal flora by the action of

beta-glucosidase β-Glucosidase (EC 3.2.1.21; systematic name β-D-glucoside glucohydrolase) is an enzyme that catalyses the following reaction: : Hydrolysis of terminal, non-reducing β-D-glucosyl residues with release of β-D-glucose Structure β-Glucosidase ...

Properties

Some interesting effects of glycitin include human dermal fibroblast cell proliferation and migration via TGF‐β signaling, glycitin treatment produces anti-

photoaging Photoaging or photoageing (also known as "dermatoheliosis") is a term used for the characteristic changes to skin induced by chronic UVA and UVB exposure. Tretinoin is the best studied retinoid in the treatment of photoaging. The deterioration ...

effects such as

collagen type I Type I collagen is the most abundant collagen of the human body. It forms large, eosinophilic fibers known as collagen fibers. It is present in scar tissue, the end product when tissue heals by repair, as well as tendons, ligaments, the endo ...

and collagen type III increase at both the mRNA and protein levels. Other noted effects decreased

elastase In molecular biology, elastase is an enzyme from the class of ''proteases (peptidases)'' that break down proteins. In particular, it is a serine protease. Forms and classification Eight human genes exist for elastase: Some bacteria (includin ...

, and decreased β‐galactosidase activation. In conjunction with 4′,6,7-trimethoxyisoflavone (TMF), an isoflavone that promotes fibroblast migration but not proliferation,

wound healing Wound healing refers to a living organism's replacement of destroyed or damaged tissue by newly produced tissue. In undamaged skin, the epidermis (surface, epithelial layer) and dermis (deeper, connective layer) form a protective barrier again ...

and anti-

scarring A scar (or scar tissue) is an area of fibrous tissue that replaces normal skin after an injury. Scars result from the biological process of wound repair in the skin, as well as in other organs, and tissues of the body. Thus, scarring is a na ...

activity (reorganization and wound fibrosis inhibition) were significantly and synergistically boosted in both ''in vivo'' mice and ''in vitro''.

References

{{Soy Glucosides Isoflavones