Description
S-equol is a metabolite of dietary soy isoflavone daidzein by gut microbiome and possesses the most anti-atherogenic properties among all isoflavones.
Chemical Properties
White to Off-White Solid
Uses
(S)-Equol and R-Equol are metabolites of the soy isoflavones Daidzein (D103500) and Genistein. Both have significant biological actions.
Uses
A human urinary metabolite of Daidzein. It is also a natural estrogenic metabolite from soy isoflavones
Uses
Receptor; binding activity
Definition
ChEBI: Equol is a member of hydroxyisoflavans.
Biological Activity
equol is an isoflavan produced by intestinal bacteria in response to soy isoflavone intake in human. it shows a wide range of activities including antioxidant activity, anti-inflammation activity and anticancer activity. it is reported that equol specifically binds to 5α-dht and has a modest affinity for recombinant estrogen receptor erβ, which may be responsible for most of equol’s biological properties. [1]
Physiological effects
(S)-Equol is a selective estrogen receptor β (ERβ) agonist with lower binding activity for ERα, the predominant estrogen receptor in the breast and uterus. ERβ is highly expressed in hippocampal neurons.
in vitro
in vitro studies were conducted to measure both the binding affinity of equol for 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone (5alpha-dht) and the effects of equol treatment in human prostate cancer (lncap) cells. it was found that equol bound to 5alpha-dht with maximum and half maxim concentrations of 100 nm and 4.8 nm, respectively. in addition, equol significantly offset the increases in psa levels from lncap cells. [1]
in vivo
an in vivo study was performed to investigate effects of equol on rat prostate weight and circulating levels of sex steroid hormones. 1.0 mg/kg of equol was injected to long-evans rats fed with a low isoflavone diet for 25 days. findings from this study suggested that equol significantly decreased rat prostate weights and down-regulated serum levels of 5alpha-dht. however, this agent did not alter levels of lh, testosterone and estradiol. [1]
References
[1]lund td, blake c, bu l, hamaker an, lephart ed. iequol an isoflavonoid: potential for improved prostate health, in vitro and in vivo evidence. reprod biol endocrin. 2011; 9(4): doi: 10.1186/1477-7827-9-4.
[2]setchell dr and clerici c. equol: pharmacokinetics and biological actions. j nutr. 2010 jul; 140(7): 1363s–8s.
