• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.183-188
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• 2012

In this study, we examined the estrogenic activity of bavachin, a component of Psoralea corylifolia that has been used as a traditional medicine in Asia. Bavachin was purified from ethanolic extract of Psoralea corylifolia and characterized its estrogenic activity by ligand binding, reporter gene activation, and endogenous estrogen receptor (ER) target gene regulation. Bavachin showed ER ligand binding activity in competitive displacement of [$^3H$] $E_2$ from recombinant ER. The estrogenic activity of bavachin was characterized in a transient transfection system using $ER{\alpha}$ or $ER{\beta}$ and estrogen-responsive luciferase plasmids in CV-1 cells with an $EC_{50}$ of 320 nM and 680 nM, respectively. Bavachin increased the mRNA levels of estrogen-responsive genes such as pS2 and PR, and decreased the protein level of $ER{\alpha}$ by proteasomal pathway. However, bavachin failed to activate the androgen receptor in CV-1 cells transiently transfected with the corresponding receptor and hormone responsive reporter plasmid. These data indicate that bavachin acts as a weak phytoestrogen by binding and activating the ER.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.169-175
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• 2012

Ginseng has been used as a traditional medicine for treatment of many diseases and for general health maintenance in people of all ages. Ginseng is also used to ameliorate menopausal systems. We investigated the estrogenic activity of Korean red ginseng (KRG) in a transient transfection system, using estrogen receptor (ER) and estrogen-responsive luciferase plasmids in MCF-7 cells. The extract activated both ER${\alpha}$ and ER${\beta}$. KRG modulated the mRNA levels of estrogen-responsive genes such as pS2 and ESR1 and decreased the protein level of ER${\alpha}$. In order to examine in vivo estrogenic activity of KRG, sixteen female Sprague-Dawley rats separated into four groups were studied for nine weeks: non-ovariectomized (OVX) rats treated with olive oil, OVX rats treated with olive oil, OVX rats treated with 17-${\beta}$-estradiol (E2) in olive oil, and OVX rats treated with KRG extract in olive oil. The experiments were repeated for three times and the data of twelve rats were combined. Body weight of OVX rats was greater than that of sham-operated control rats and was decreased by E2 treatment. Uterine weight increased after E2 treatment compared to OVX rats. However, no difference in body or uterine weight was observed with KRG intake. KRG induced reductions in total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol/total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol/total cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol/high density lipoprotein cholesterol, but not to the same degree as did E2 intake. These results show that KRG does contain estrogenic activity as manifested by in vitro study but the activity is not strong enough to elicit physiological responses.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.354-362
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• 2006

Dietary flavonoids have attracted a great deal of attention as agents for preventing estrogen-related diseases, such as postmenopausal symptoms, and for reducing the risk of estrogen-dependent cancer. Kaempferol is one of the most commonly found dietary phytoestrogen. The aim of this study was to investigate the estrogenic and/or antiestrogenic effect of kaempferol, which can confirm its potency as a preventive agent against estrogen-related diseases. Kaempferol has both estrogenic and antiestrogenic activity, which are biphasic response on estrogen receptor. The estrogenic activity of kaempferol induced via ER-mediated pathway depending on $E_2$ concentration $(\leq\;10^{-12}M)$. Kaempferol $(10^{-5}\;M)$ also caused antiproliferative effect on MCF-7 cell in the presence of $E_2\;(10^{-11}\;M)$ and restored to the addition of excess $E_2\;(10^{-7}\;M)$, which confirms that antiproliferation of kaempferol was induced via ER-dependent pathway. However, at $10^{-4}\;M$, concentration higher than the concentrations at which the estrogenic effects of kaempferol are detected $(10^{-5}\;M)$, kaempferol induced strong antiproliferative effect, but were unaffected by the addition of excess $E_2\;(10^{-7}\;M)$ indicating that kaempferol exerts antiproliferation via ER-independent pathway. In particular, kaempferol blocked the focus formation induced by $E_2$, which confirms that kaempferol might inhibit the malignant transformation caused by estrogens. Therefore, we suggested that kaempferol might regulate a suitable level of estrogenic activity in the body and is expected to have potential beneficial effects in preventing estrogen imbalance diseases (breast cancer, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and etc.).

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.475-479
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• 1997

A decrease in the circulating levels of estrogen, occuring as a consequence of post menopausal decline or from surgical ovariectomy, results in an accelerated loss of bone. Estrogen has been shown to stimulate lysyl oxidase activity, and the treatment with estrogen increased the pyridinium content of cortical bone. a trivalent mature cross-links collagen fibrils named pyridinoline, which is especially abundant in collagen of cartilage and bone, markedly increases with growth in humans and rats. The main aim of this study was to examine the increased bone loss caused by ovariectomy through monitoring the concentrations of the collagen and the pyridinium cross-links of collagen, pyridinoline. The ovariectomized rats, 4 weeks old, were divided at random into two or three groups of 5. Ovariectomies were carried out on both of the saline-treated group(OVX(NH)) and the estrogen-treated group(OVX(H)) using the dorsal approach and sham operations were performed on the sham-operated group(sham). They were maintained under identical conditions for 4 or 8 weeks and were allowed free access to food and water. it was observed that there was no significant difference between the control group and the sham-operated group, however, the control group had a higher content of collagen than the saline-treated group after 4 weeks and 8 weeks. Based on these results, iot is supposed that estrogen can enhance collagen synthesis and affects the pyridinoline formation in collagen fibrils through stimulating lysyl oxidase activity.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.893-904
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• 2006

To improve sensitivity of biosensor as yeast two-hybrid detection system for estrogenic activity of suspected chemicals, we tested effects of several combinations of the bait and fish components in the two-hybrid system on Saccharomyces cerevisiae inducted a chromosome-integrated lacZ reporter gene that was under the control of CYC1 promoter and the upstream Gal4p-binding element $UAS_{GAL}$. The bait components that were fused with the Gal4p DNA binding domain are full-length human estrogen receptor ${\alpha}$ and its ligand-binding domain. The fish components that were fused with the Gal4p transcriptional activation domain were nuclear receptor-binding domains of co-activators SRC1 and TIF2. We found that the combination of the full-length human estrogen receptor ${\alpha}$ with the nuclear receptor-binding domain of co-activator SRC1 was most effective for the estrogen-dependent induction of reporter activity among the two-hybrid systems so far reported. The relative strength of transcriptional activation by representative natural and xenobiotic chemicals was well correlated with their estrogenic potency that had been reported with other assay systems.

• Journal of Marine Bioscience and Biotechnology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.75-80
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• 2020

In the present study, the estrogenic activity and anti-osteoclastogenic activity of the Myelophycus simplex extract were evaluated using T47D-Kbluc cells and bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs). As a result of the measurement of the estrogenic activity in the T47D-Kbluc cell line, the Myelophycus simplex extract showed increased estrogenic activity in a dose-dependent manner in association with its concentration. To confirm the regulatory effect of the Myelophycus simplex extract on the estrogen-responsive gene, the Myelophycus simplex extract showed a similar tendency to estradiol: the expression of estrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) was significantly decreased while the expression of estrogen receptor 2 (ESR2) was increased. Furthermore, the Myelophycus simplex extract exhibited an inhibitory effect on osteoclast differentiation. In conclusion, these Myelophycus simplex extracts might be regarded as candidates for further studies or the development of functional food products or medicine to prevent or avoid postmenopausal symptoms for women.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.138-138
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• 1998

Effects of nitric oxide and hypoxia on ethoxyresorufin deethylase in Hepa I cells and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were examined. TCDD treatment have resulted in the stimulation of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity based on fluorometry in Hepa I in dose and time dependent manner. 0.1 nM TCDD showed maximal stimulation of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity and 24 hour treatment also showed maximal stimulation of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity. In MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, untreated cells showed high basal level of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity. TCDD treatment to MCF-7 cells resulted minor stimulation of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity compared to that in Hepa I cells. Nitric oxide and hypoxia inhibit TCDD effects on ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity in both cell lines. And also flavonoids, such as quercetin showed an inhibition of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity that is stimulated with TCDD or 3-Methylcholanthrene. Estrogen and estrogen metabolite such as 16 a-estriol and 2-hydroxyestradiol also affects the ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity in MCF-7 cells.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.67-71
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• 2009

Estrogen receptor ${\alpha}$ ($ER{\alpha}$) mediates the mitogenic effects of estrogen. $ER{\alpha}$ signaling regulates the normal growth and differentiation of mammary tissue, but uncontrolled $ER{\alpha}$ activation increases the risk to breast cancer. Estrogen binding induces ligand-dependent $ER{\alpha}$ activation, thereby facilitating $ER{\alpha}$ dimerization, promoter binding and coactivator recruitment. $ER{\alpha}$ can also be activated in a ligand-independent manner by many signaling pathways, including protein kinase A (PKA) signaling. However, in several $ER{\alpha}$-positive breast cancer cells, PKA inhibits estrogen-dependent cell growth. FoxH1 represses the transcriptional activities of estrogen receptors and androgen receptors (AR). Interestingly, FoxH1 has been found to inhibit the PKA-induced and ligand-induced activation of AR. In the present study, we examined the effects of PKA activation on the ability of FoxH1 to represses $ER{\alpha}$ transcriptional activity. We found that PKA increases the protein stability of FoxH1, and that FoxH1 inhibits PKA-induced and estradiol-induced activation of an estrogen response element (ERE). Furthermore, in MCF7 cells, FoxH1 knockdown increased the PKA-induced and estradiol-induced activation of the ERE. These results suggest that PKA can negatively regulate $ER{\alpha}$, at least in part, through FoxH1.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.139-139
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• 1998

Effects of TCDD and flavonoids on ethoxyresorufin deethylase in Hepa I cells and MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were examined. TCDD treatment have resulted in the stimulation of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity based on fluorometry in Hepa I in dose and time dependent manner. 0.1 nM TCDD showed maximal stimulation of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity and 24 hour treatment also showed maximal stimulation of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity. In MCF-7 human breast cancer cells, untreated cells showed high basal level of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity. TCDD treatment to MCF-7 cells resulted minor stimulation of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity compared to that in Hepa I cells. Various chemicals were tested for ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity in both cell lines. Flavonoids, such as quercetin showed an inhibition of ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity that is stimulated with TCDD or 3-Methylcholanthrene. Estrogen and estrogen metabolites such as 16a-estriol also affects the ethoxyresorufin deethylase activity in MCF-7 cells.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.220-226
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• 1996

To investigate the effect of long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on breast cancer cell growth, estrogen-dependent MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were cultured serum-free DMEM media containing 0.5$\mu\textrm{g}$/ml of differnet kinds of fatty acids; linoleic acid(LA), arachidonic acid(AA), eicosapentaenoic acid(EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid acid(DHA) and 1, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5and 1.0ng/ml 17$\beta$-estradiol as well as 10$\mu\textrm{g}$/mi insulin and 1.25 mg/ml delipidized bovine serum albumin for 3 days. Cell growth monitored by MTT assay was lower in DHA and EPA treatments as compared to LA treatment, but not with AA treatment. Estrogen concentrations at which cell growth was initially stimulated were 0.1ng/ml for LA and DHA treatments and 0.2ng/ml for EPA and AA treatments, but the degree of stimulation was 25~30% lower in DHA and EPA treatments than in LA treatment. Fatty acid analysis showed that each fatty acid in culture medium was well incoporated into celluar lipid. Protein kinase C activity of cells was most elevated in LA treatment from 2 to 8 hours of culture followed by DHA, EPA, and AA treatments. It is concluded that inhibitions of n-3 DHA and EPA on breast cancer cell growth as compard with n-6 LA is mediated via changes in membrane fatty acid composition reducing estrogen sensitivity and increasing protein kinase C activity.