Genistein is a natural isoflavone found in many foods and herbs. It exerts several biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, angiogenesis, and estrogen effects. It also has pharmacological activities on diabetes and lipid metabolism.
Preclinical pharmacological genistein supplement activities of genistein include: (a) anti-inflammatory and angiogenesis actions; (b) cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects in cancer cells; and (c) pharmacological activities on diabetic patients. It has been shown that genistein can increase insulin sensitivity and reduce glucose concentration in diabetic patients with type 2 diabetes.
Clinical evidence shows that genistein supplement can help with hot flashes, IBS, and protection against osteoporosis. It has also been used in menopausal women to prevent and treat breast cancer and to decrease hormone levels in men with prostate cancer.
Genistein: The Natural Way to Boost Your Health and Wellness
thymic and immune abnormalities
The estrogenic effects of genistein are attributed to its ability to produce thymic abnormalities and to elicit a pronounced effect on the innate and adaptive immune systems. Female C57BL/6J mice injected with 8 mg/kg per day of genistein for 7 or 21 days had significant thymic abnormalities (Fig.1). They had fewer CD4+CD8- and double-positive thymic cells than controls. This is consistent with a recent study showing that genistein can induce thymic cell death by increasing the number of apoptotic thymocytes in male rats.
apoptosis in thymic cells
Thymocytes were stained with annexin V and propidium iodide and then apoptosis was quantified by flow cytometry. During the treatment, apoptosis was detected in a larger percentage of double-positive thymic cells than in control cells. Consequently, genistein inhibited both early thymic thymocyte maturation and the mature CD4+CD8- lineage of thymocytes.