title: Do extracts of oral soybean augment the trophic effect of estrogen on the rat uterus?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether soybean extracts and estrogens present additive effects on adult rat uterus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty ovariectomized rats were randomly divided into five equal groups of ten animals: Control, treated with vehicle; SE46 and SE120, treated with 46 and 120 mg/kg soybean concentrated extract (SE), respectively; EE, treated with conjugated equine estrogens (CE) 50 μg/kg; SE120 + EE, treated with 50 μg/kg (CE) plus 120 mg/kg SE. The substances were administered daily by gavage for 21 consecutive days. Thereafter the animals were weighed and killed by decapitation; trunk blood was collected for hormone determinations. Uteri were removed immediately and fixed in 10% formaldehyde, followed by dehydration, embedding in paraffin and 6-m sections staining with hematoxylin and eosin for histomorphometric analyses of myometrium and endometrium. After ANOVA analysis of the data, the study was complemented with the Tukey-Kramer test for multiple comparisons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The concentrated extract of soybean at high concentration (SE 120 kg/mg) and estrogens proved to have a trophic effect on the uterus (endometrium and myometrium) of castrated rats. In groups SE120, EE and SE120 + EE, all morphometric parameters examined (number of glands, eosinophils, blood vessels and the glandular area) were increased. No significant addictive effects of soybean extract plus estrogens were detected in the SE120 + EE group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that soy extract has a trophic effect on rat uterine structures. Treatment of ovariectomized rats with a concentrated soy extract in combination with conjugated estrogens had no addictive effect on the uterine response.
authors: University of Vale do Sapucai - UNIVÁS, Gynecology, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors: A M C
authors: AM
authors: Francisco
authors: A Ferraz
authors: AF
authors: Carbonel
authors: R S
authors: RS
authors: Simões
authors: J M
authors: JM
authors: Soares
authors: E C
authors: EC
authors: Baracat
authors: M A
authors: MA
authors: Haidar
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004717:Endometrium / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D004967:Estrogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D019833:Genistein / Q000494:pharmacology; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000494:pharmacology; D009215:Myometrium / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects; D009929:Organ Size; D010052:Ovariectomy; D048789:Phytoestrogens / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D013025:Glycine max; D014599:Uterus / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D004966:Estrogens, Conjugated (USP); D007529:Isoflavones; D048789:Phytoestrogens; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; C004742:daidzein; C086566:glycitein; D019833:Genistein