Effets of plant compounds on estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cell line MCF-7

This study was designed to determine the effects of plant derived compounds on the transcriptome of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer. Phytoestrogens are compounds produced by plants that possess weak estrogenic activity. They can be found in a wide variety of plants, including fruits and vegetables, but are most abundant in leguminous plants. Legumes are consumed in almost every diet throughout the world, and in addition to the seeds, many other parts of the plant are also edible, including the pods of some varieties. Soybeans have been demonstrated to contain high concentrations of the isoflavones daidzein and genistein, which are re-sponsible for many of the health benefits of soy. Besides isoflavonoids, flavonoids also exert estrogenic activity, but usually at a much lower level of activity compared to that of isoflavonoids. Also, some flavonoids, including kaempferol and quercetin, canexhibit antiestrogenic activity, with several legumes being a source of these flavo-noids. Coumestrol, a coumestan with high estrogenic activity in cell and animal as-says, is also present in several legume seeds and sprouts. These underutilized plant compounds could hold previously unknown potential for antioxidant activity, anti-inflammation activity, cholesterol lowering ability, and even anticancer activity. The goal of the present study was to identify the effects of plant derived compounds on estrogen receptor positive cell line to determine if the compound possess estrogenic or anti-estrogenic activity, thereby highlighting potential implications on human health through diet.