Title: Phytoestrogens and gynecological diseases: From a murky past to a bright future?

Abstract

Phytoestrogens are important secondary metabolites with interesting biological activity mimicking the estrogen hormone. They can be divided into 3 classes including isoflavones that are found in legumes with soybeans and soy products being the major dietary source, lignans that are found in high fiber cereals, unrefined grains and beans with flaxseed containing the largest amount and coumestans that are found in large quantities in Alfalfa and clover sprouts with lesser amounts in split peas, lima beans, and pinto beans. Finding these constituents in their natural sources is a tedious process that requires many assays. In the current work we established a new model for screening estrogen-like substances. The application of the transgenic pER8:GUS Arabidopsis callus in a cross-kingdom assay to evaluate the estrogenic activity of 17β-estradiol (E2) and natural products is discussed for the first time. The transgenic plants were utilized to produce many calli, which stably expressed transfer genes by asexual reproduction. The optimum formula for calli induction and production were selected from sixteen solid media and six liquid media, respectively. This study also focused on natural product chemistry and their bioactivities of, Liriope platyphylla (Liliaceae) and Lindernia crustacea (Scrophulariaceae). Phytochemical investigation of L. platyphylla led to the isolation of thirty-eight components, including eight new compounds and thirty known compounds. Those isolates were summarized in twelve skeletons, including phenyl-isocoumarin, benzofuroisocoumarins, benzyl-benzofuran, ethyl butanoate, homoisoflavonoids, chalcone, flavonoids, amides, lignan, fatty acid derivative, indole, and benzenoids. Four isolated compounds exhibited potent estrogenic activity in a dose-dependent manner, rendering those compounds and similar structures as potential candidates for phytoestrogen nutritional supplements. Our results provided the first insight of L. platyphylla active components with estrogenic and antiplatelet activities suggesting the potential utilization of this herb and other components in dietary supplements and functional food products.

Biography

Prof. Mohamed El-Shazly is the Head of Pharmaceutical Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, the German University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt. He was graduated from the Faculty of Pharmacy, Ain-Shams University, Cairo, Egypt in 2000. In 2006, he received his master’s degree from Jacobs University Bremen, Bremen, Germany in nanomolecular science, and he pursued his Ph.D. focusing on the synthesis of pharmaceutical intermediates and natural products. In 2009, he received his Ph.D. and went back to Egypt to join his home institute. In 2011, he worked at the Graduate Institute of Natural Products, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.