Facolta' di Medicina e Chirurgia, Universita' di Bari, Bari, Italy,
Genes Nutr. 2008 Apr;3(1):7-13. doi: 10.1007/s12263-008-0081-6.
Epidemiological and experimental studies suggest a protective role of estrogens against colorectal cancer. This effect seems to be mediated by their binding to estrogen receptor beta (ER-beta), one of the two estrogen receptors with high affinity for these hormones. Very recently, the demonstration of an involvement of ER-beta in the development of adenomatous polyps of the colon has also been documented, suggesting the use of selective ER-beta agonists in primary colorectal cancer prevention. Phytoestrogens are plant-derived compounds that structurally and functionally act as estrogen-agonists in mammals. They are characterized by a higher binding affinity to ER-beta as compared to estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha), the other estrogen receptor subtype. These biological characteristics explain why the administration of phytoestrogens does not produce the classical side effects associated to estrogen administration (cerebro- and cardio-vascular accidents, higher incidence of endometrial and breast cancer) and makes these substances ideal candidates for the prevention of colorectal cancer.
流行病学和实验研究表明，雌激素对结直肠癌具有保护作用。这种作用似乎是通过与雌激素受体β（ER-β）结合介导的，ER-β 是两种对这些激素具有高亲和力的雌激素受体之一。最近，也有文献证明 ER-β 参与了结直肠腺瘤性息肉的发生，这提示我们可以在结直肠癌的一级预防中使用选择性 ER-β 激动剂。植物雌激素是一类结构和功能上类似于哺乳动物雌激素的植物源性化合物。它们与另一种雌激素受体亚型 ER-α（雌激素受体α）相比，对 ER-β 的结合亲和力更高。这些生物学特性解释了为什么给予植物雌激素不会产生与雌激素治疗相关的典型副作用（脑和心血管意外、子宫内膜癌和乳腺癌的发生率更高），并使这些物质成为预防结直肠癌的理想候选物。
