Genistein leguminous plants

Kaufman, P.B., Duke, J.A., Brielmann, H., Boik, J., and Hoyt, J.E. 1997. A comprehensive survey of leguminous plants as sources of the isoflavones, genistein and daidzein implications for human nutrition and health. J. Alternate Complementary Med. 3 7-22. 

Isoflavones are found almost exclusively in leguminous plants. Legumes, particularly soybean (Glycine max L.) and its processed products, are the richest sources of isoflavones mainly genistein, daidzein, and glycitein, in the human diet." Recently soy isoflavones have been reported also in 2-3... 

The precursors of flavonoid biosynthesis include shikimic acid, phenylalanine, cinnamic acid, and p-coumaric acid. Shikimic acid acts as an intermediate in the biosynthesis of aromatic acid. The basic pathways to the core isoflavonoid skeletons have been established both enzymatically and genetically [16]. The synthesis of isoflavones can be broadly divided into three main synthetic pathways the formylation of deoxybenzoins, the oxidative rearrangement of chalcones and flavanones, and the arylation of a preformed chromanone ring. In leguminous plants, the major isoflavonoids are produced via two branches of the isoflavonoid biosynthetic pathway, and the different branches share a majority of common reactions [1]. Unlike the common flavonoid compotmds, which have a 2-phenyl-benzopyrone core structure, isoflavones, such as daidzein and genistein, are 3-phenyl-benzopyrone compounds. Biochemically, the synthesis of isoflavones is an offshoot of the flavonoids biosynthesis pathway. Several attempts have aimed to increase... 

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