title: Phytoestrogens as alternative hormone replacement therapy in menopause: What is real, what is unknown.
abstract: Menopause is characterized by an altered hormonal status and by a decrease in life quality due to the appearance of uncomfortable symptoms. Nowadays, with increasing life span, women spend one-third of their lifetime under menopause. Understanding menopause-associated pathophysiology and developing new strategies to improve the treatment of menopausal-associated symptoms is an important topic in the clinic. This review describes physiological and hormone alterations observed during menopause and therapeutic strategies used during this period. We critically address the benefits and doubts associated with estrogen/progesterone-based hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and discuss the use of phytoestrogens (PEs) as a possible alternative. These relevant plant-derived compounds have structural similarities to estradiol, interacting with cell proteins and organelles, presenting several advantages and disadvantages versus traditional HRT in the context of menopause. However, a better assessment of PEs safety/efficacy would warrant a possible widespread clinical use.
authors.affiliation: Doctoral Programme in Experimental Biology and Biomedicine, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Maria S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: CNC - Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal. Electronic address: vimarisa@ci.uc.pt.
authors.forename: Vilma A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Sardão
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D020249:Hormone Replacement Therapy; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause / Q000187:drug effects*; D048789:Phytoestrogens / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D048789:Phytoestrogens
keywords: Hormone replacement therapy; Menopause; Phytoestrogens; Toxicology