Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9892171 | The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology | 2005 | 7 Pages |
Abstract
The estrogenic activity of the Chinese herb kudzu root was investigated by a recombinant yeast screening assay (YES). Isoflavones are the main components in the plant, of which puerarin is the most abundant one. The kudzu root extract was separated into four fractions according to the polarity. The crude extract and its sub-fractions, except the water fraction, showed clear estrogenic activity and the potencies were in the range of 10â3 to 10â1 g/l. The ligand potency was used to compare the estrogenic activity of these fractions. The crude extract and its sub-fractions were further analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to correlate the activity and the active components. Bioassay and chemical analysis showed that theoretical estrogenic activity expressed as equivalent 17β-estradiol concentration or the cumulative effects are comparable to that experimentally determined by YES. The results showed that the high content of isoflavones as well as the high estrogenic activity could make kudzu root extract an interesting candidate for hormone replacement therapy.
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Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Biochemistry
Authors
Yan Zhang, Jiping Chen, Chunzhi Zhang, Wenzhong Wu, Xinmiao Liang,