Pharmacology Isoflavonoids

Barnes, S. et al.. Soy isoflavonoids and cancer prevention Underlying biochemical and pharmacological issues, in Dietary Phytochemicals and Cancer Prevention, Butrum, R., Ed., Plenum Press, New York, 1996, 87. 

Chart 1. Pharmacological Effects of Puerariae Flos on Alcohol-Induced Unusual Metabolism BUN. The isoflavonoid fr. (PF-IF) shows a decrease in ALT, AST and BUN, and a significant decrease in the blood alcohol and acetaldehyde level. 

Many plant phenolics are of pharmaceutical interest. Flavonoids, lignans, flavolignans, coumarins, phenyl pro-panoids, and other phenolic compounds show a wide variety of biological and pharmacological activities, such as anti-oxidant, anti-hepatotoxic, spasmolytic, cytotoxic, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial. Some flavonoids improve capillary resistance while isoflavonoids found in soy and other legumes have estrogenic activity. 

Isoflavonoids show fungicidal and bactericidal effects. They play an important role as constitutive constituents and also as phytoalexins. From the pharmacological point of view estrogenic activity of isoflavones such as genistein and daidzein is of increasing relevance (Harbome and Williams 2000). Rotenoids, especially rotenone, are potent insecticides. 

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