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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Screening for Phytoestrogens using a Cell-based Estrogen Receptor β Reporter Assay
Published on: June 7, 2020
Inhibition of 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases by phytoestrogens: comparison with other steroid metabolizing
D Deluca1, A Krazeisen, R Breitling
1GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health, Institute for Experimental Genetics, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany.
Abstract:
Effects of phytoestrogens on human health have been reported for decades. These include not only beneficial action in cancer prevention but also endocrine disruption in males. Since then many molecular mechanisms underlying these effects have been identified. Targets of phytoestrogens comprise steroid receptors, steroid metabolising enzymes, elements of signal transduction and apoptosis pathways, and even the DNA processing machinery. Understanding the specific versus pleiotropic effects of selected phytoestrogens will be crucial for their biomedical application. This review will concentrate on the influence of phytoestrogens on 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases from a comparative perspective with other steroid metabolizing enzymes.
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