title: Growth inhibition of human endothelial cells by the phyto-oestrogen biochanin A, a metabolite of genistein.
abstract: This study examined the growth regulatory effects of a phyto-oestrogen, biochanin A, on a transformed human endothelial cell line ECV304 in vitro. Biochanin A was found to inhibit cell proliferation in a dose-dependent fashion and this effect was influenced by the concentration of serum present in the culture medium. In the absence of serum, the calculated IC50 of biochanin A was 0.18 +/- 0.1 microm compared to an IC50 of m at 10% serum. At low cell density, the growth inhibitory effects of biochanin A were more evident than at high cell density. Co-administration of a synthetic oestrogen diethylstilboestrol with biochanin A did not suppress the growth regulatory effects of biochanin A treatment. We conclude that biochanin A inhibits the cell proliferation of human endothelial cells at concentrations that are physiologically achievable in vivo and that this effect may play an important role in the cancer-preventing activity of the phyto-oestrogens.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Soochow University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. cying@mail.scu.edu.tw
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Shieh
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology; D019833:Genistein / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D004967:Estrogens; D019833:Genistein; C004541:biochanin A