Lopes Danielle B, de Avila Amanda R A, de Queiros Livia D, Macedo Juliana A, Macedo Gabriela A
Laboratory of Bioprocess, Department of Food and Nutrition, Food Engineering Faculty, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), P.O. Box 6121, Barão Geraldo, Campinas-SP, Brazil..
Recent Pat Food Nutr Agric. 2016;8(2):91-98. doi: 10.2174/2212798408666160620090519.
Soy isoflavones, an important class of phytoestrogens, are suggested to be responsible for a number of biological activities associated with health benefits, including defense against various chronic diseases, including breast and prostate cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and osteoporosis, and they may alleviate the symptoms of menopause.
However, current researches (including patents) have shown that the clinical efficacy of these phenolic compounds is related to the ability of an individual to biotransform isoflavones into equol, which is a metabolite of daidzein formed exclusively by the intestinal microbiota.
This biologically active metabolite presents greater effects than other isoflavones; however, only about 30-50 % of people have a microbiota that is able to produce equol from dietary daidzein. Concern has recently grown about applications to improve the production of this metabolite.
This paper summarizes the metabolism of equol, its production, and clinical implications.
大豆异黄酮是一类重要的植物雌激素，被认为具有多种与健康益处相关的生物活性，包括抵御各种慢性疾病，如乳腺癌、前列腺癌、心血管疾病和骨质疏松症，并且它们可能缓解更年期症状。
然而，目前的研究（包括专利）表明，这些酚类化合物的临床疗效与个体将异黄酮生物转化为雌马酚的能力有关，雌马酚是大豆苷元仅由肠道微生物群形成的一种代谢产物。
这种生物活性代谢产物比其他异黄酮具有更大的作用；然而，只有约30%-50%的人拥有能够从膳食大豆苷元产生雌马酚的微生物群。最近人们对提高这种代谢产物产量的应用越来越关注。
本文总结了雌马酚的代谢、其产生及其临床意义。
