title: Estrogen receptor β-selective phytoestrogenic formulation prevents physical and neurological changes in a preclinical model of human menopause.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As an alternative to estrogen therapy, the efficacy of an estrogen receptor β-selective phytoestrogenic (phyto-β-SERM) formulation to regulate climacteric symptoms and decline in brain responses associated with ovarian hormone loss in menopause was assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  A phyto-β-SERM formulation-containing diet was compared with a commercial soy extract diet and a phytoestrogen-free base/control diet in an ovariectomized (OVX) mouse model of human menopause. Two treatment studies were conducted: (1) a 2-month study assessed the effects of experimental diets on tail skin temperature as a model of menopausal hot flashes, and (2) a 9-month study assessed the long-term impact of the diets on overall health, hair thinning/loss, spatial working memory, and associated protein expression in the hippocampus.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The phyto-β-SERM diet prevented OVX-induced menopause-like changes including the rise in skin temperature, hair thinning/loss, deficit in spatial memory function, and reversed OVX-induced decline in the expression of hippocampal proteins involved in neural plasticity and β-amyloid degradation/clearance. The soy extract diet had no effect or exacerbated OVX-induced changes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, the phyto-β-SERM diet induced physical and neurological responses comparable with ovary-intact mice, suggesting the therapeutic potential of the phyto-β-SERM formulation for the prevention/alleviation of climacteric symptoms and decline in brain responses induced by ovarian hormone loss, which provides the basis for further work in postmenopausal women.
authors: Department of Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA. liqinz@usc.edu
authors: Liqin
authors: L
authors: Zhao
authors: Zisu
authors: Z
authors: Mao
authors: Lon S
authors: LS
authors: Schneider
authors: Roberta D
authors: RD
authors: Brinton
mesh_terms: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000819:agonists*; D005260:Female; D006197:Hair / Q000187:drug effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects; D019584:Hot Flashes / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D008570:Memory, Short-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D008593:Menopause / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009473:Neuronal Plasticity / Q000187:drug effects; D048789:Phytoestrogens / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D016229:Amyloid beta-Peptides; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D048789:Phytoestrogens