Assessment of the effects of naringenin-type flavanones in uterus and vagina

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

The potential utilization of plant secondary metabolites possessing estrogenic properties as alternatives to the classical hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for the relief of postmenopausal complaints asks for an evaluation regarding the safety in reproductive organs. In order to contribute to the estimation of the safety profile of the flavanones naringenin (Nar), 8‑prenylnaringenin (8PN) and 6‑(1,1‑dimethylally) naringenin (6DMAN), we investigated uterus and vagina derived from a three‑day uterotrophic assay in rats. Also, we investigated the metabolite profile resulting from the incubation of the three substances with liver microsomes. While no metabolites were detectable for naringenin, hydroxylation products were observed for 8PN and 6DMAN after incubation with human as well as rat liver microsomes. The parent compound naringenin did not evoke any estrogenic responses in the investigated parameters. A significant increase of the uterine wet weight, uterine epithelial thickness and proliferating vaginal cells was observed in response to 8PN, questioning the safety of 8PN if applied in the human situation. In contrast, no estrogenic effects on the reproductive organs were observed for 6DMAN in the conducted study, rendering it the compound with a more promising safety profile, therefore justifying further investigations into its efficacy to alleviate postmenopausal discomforts.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)49-57
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Volume145
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2015
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 25305411
Scopus 84908214884
researchoutputwizard legacy.publication#63435
ORCID /0000-0002-2157-4711/work/142251647

Keywords

Keywords

  • Animals, Cell Proliferation, Epithelium/drug effects, Estradiol/pharmacology, Estrogens/pharmacology, Female, Flavanones/pharmacology, Humans, Microsomes, Liver/drug effects, Phytoestrogens/pharmacology, Rats, Rats, Inbred Lew, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Uterus/drug effects, Vagina/drug effects