title: Phytoestrogenic compounds in alfalfa sprout (Medicago sativa) beyond coumestrol.
abstract: Coumestrol has long been known as the phytoestrogenic compound in alfalfa. However, it has been demonstrated that the ethyl acetate extract of alfalfa sprout (AEA) attenuated the disease severity and increased survival and life span of autoimmune-prone MRL-lpr/lpr mice. Coumestrol, on the contrary, decreased the survival. This study thus aimed to isolate and identify phytoestrogenic compounds other than coumestrol in AEA. AEA was fractionated and separated by successive silica gel chromatography and preparative HPLC. The activity of collected fractions was tracked by a transactivation assay for ERα and ERβ, respectively. In addition to coumestrol, liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin, loliolide, and (4S,6S)- and (4R,6S)-4-hydroxy-6-pentadecyltetrahydropyr-2-one were isolated and chemically identified. Except for loliolide, these compounds showed higher transactivation via ERβ than via ERα. The maximal activation via ERα of coumestrol reached 80% that of 1 nM 17β-estradiol (E(2)), whereas the activations of the remaining five compounds as well as AEA ranged from 8 to 49%. In addition, isoliquiritigenin, loliolide, and (4S,6S)- and (4R,6S)-4-hydroxy-6-pentadecyltetrahydropyr-2-one, but not coumestrol, preferentially inhibited 1 nM E(2) induced ERα activation, compared to that ERβ activation. The selectivity of these phytoestrogens might account for the difference between the effects of AEA and coumestrol in autoimmune-prone MRL-lpr/lpr mice observed previously.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Science and Technology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yong-Han
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Ssu-ching
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Bi-Fong
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yueh-Hsiung
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Ching-jang
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D002460:Cell Line; D003375:Coumestrol / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D000455:Medicago sativa / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D015394:Molecular Structure; D048789:Phytoestrogens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D048789:Phytoestrogens; D010936:Plant Extracts; D003375:Coumestrol