Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Potential adverse effects of phytoestrogens

P L Whitten1, C Lewis, E Russell

  • 1Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322.

The Journal of Nutrition
|March 1, 1995
PubMed
Summary

Plant estrogens like coumestrol show varied effects on reproductive health and behavior in rats. Further research is crucial to understand the full impact of these natural compounds.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Evidence for the Collective Nature of Radial Flow in Pb+Pb Collisions with the ATLAS Detector.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Evidence for the Dimuon Decay of the Higgs Boson in pp Collisions with the ATLAS Detector.

Physical review letters·2025
Same author

Evidence for Longitudinally Polarized W Bosons in the Electroweak Production of Same-Sign W Boson Pairs in Association with Two Jets in pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV with the ATLAS Detector.

Physical review letters·2025
Same author

Occupational physical activity and stroke mortality in male Swedish construction workers between 1971 and 2015.

Occupational medicine (Oxford, England)·2025
Same author

Observation of tt[over ¯] Production in Pb+Pb Collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=5.02  TeV with the ATLAS Detector.

Physical review letters·2025
Same author

Search for Dark Matter Produced in Association with a Dark Higgs Boson in the bb[over ¯] Final State Using pp Collisions at sqrt[s]=13  TeV with the ATLAS Detector.

Physical review letters·2025

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Toxicology
  • Reproductive Biology

Background:

  • Naturally occurring plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) require thorough evaluation for their benefits and risks.
  • Coumestrol, a potent isoflavonoid, is a key phytoestrogen to study at dietary concentrations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the agonistic and antagonistic effects of coumestrol at natural dietary levels.
  • To assess the developmental and long-term impacts of coumestrol exposure on reproductive endpoints in a rat model.

Main Methods:

  • Administered varying dietary concentrations of coumestrol to rats.
  • Examined effects on reproductive tract, brain, and pituitary in immature females.
  • Assessed estrous cycle suppression in adult females.
  • Evaluated neonatal exposure effects (10-day and 21-day) on adult estrous cyclicity and sexual behavior in male offspring.

Main Results:

  • Coumestrol exhibited estrogenic (agonistic) activity in immature female rats.
  • Coumestrol suppressed estrous cycles in adult females and induced persistent estrus with 21-day neonatal exposure.
  • Neonatal coumestrol exposure (10-day) impaired male sexual behavior.

Conclusions:

  • Coumestrol displays a broad range of estrogenic actions with variable potency across different endpoints.
  • Findings highlight the necessity of comprehensive characterization of phytoestrogens, including their sites of action, potency, and temporal effects.

Related Experiment Videos