Isoflavonoid Profiling and Estrogen-Like Activity of Four Species from the Greek Flora.

As part of our ongoing research on phytoestrogens, we investigated the phytochemical profile and estrogen-like activities of eight extracts from the aerial parts of four species of Greek flora using estrogen-responsive cell lines. Ethyl acetate and methanolic extracts of , and were obtained with accelerated solvent extraction and their phytochemical profiles were compared using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (uHPLC-HRMS). Fourteen isoflavonoids, previously isolated from , were used as reference standards for their identification in the extracts. Thirteen isoflavonoids were detected in both extracts of and , while fewer and far fewer were detected in and respectively. The ethyl acetate extracts of and displayed 2.45- and 1.79-fold higher, respectively, estrogen-like agonist activity in Ishikawa cells compared to MCF-7 cells at pharmacologically relevant concentrations. Both these extracts, but not that of , contained mono- and di-β-d-glucosides of genistein as well as the aglycone, all three of which are known to display full estrogen-like activity at lower-than-micromolar concentrations. The possibility of using preparations rich in and/or extracts as a potentially safer substitute for low-dose vaginal estrogen for menopausal symptoms is discussed.