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Review
. 2022 Jun 29:2022:5957378.
doi: 10.1155/2022/5957378. eCollection 2022.

Genistein: Therapeutic and Preventive Effects, Mechanisms, and Clinical Application in Digestive Tract Tumor

Shenglin Hou  1
Affiliations
Review

Genistein: Therapeutic and Preventive Effects, Mechanisms, and Clinical Application in Digestive Tract Tumor

Shenglin Hou. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. .

Abstract

Genistein is one of the numerous recognized isoflavones that may be found in a variety of soybeans and soy products, including tofu and tofu products. The chemical name for genistein is 4', 5, 7-trihydroxyisoflavone, and it is found in plants. In recent years, the scientific world has become more interested in genistein because of its possible therapeutic effects on many forms of cancer. It has been widely investigated for its anticancer properties. The discovery of genistein's mechanism of action indicates its potential for apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest in gastrointestinal cancer, especially gastric and colorectal cancer. Genistein's pharmacological activities as determined by the experimental studies presented in this review lend support to its use in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer; however, additional research is needed in the future to determine its efficacy, safety, and the potential for using nanotechnology to increase bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Deoxybenzoin route of genistein synthesis using DMF/PCl5 as a source of (Me2N = CHCl)Cl0 [26].
Scheme 2
Scheme 2
The chalcone method of genistein synthesis [26].
Figure 1
Figure 1
The anti-cancer effect of genistein: downregulating/suppressing, inhibiting, and enhancing different pathways. AP-1; Bax; Bcl-2; EGFR; IκB; KIF20A; PI3K/Akt; TRAIL; TRAIL R; Wnt1/β-catenin modified from [21].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Pathways involving, apoptosis and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) effect by genistein in HT29 cell lines. EMT reverses genistein by enhancing the expression of E-cadherin and inhibition of N-cadherin; along with the control of ZEB1, EMT makers, TWIST1, and Snail2/slug. Genistein enhances the function of Bax/Bcl-2 and caspase-8 by impeding notch-1. A decrease in the notch-1 leads to the prevention of both NF-κB and p-NF-κB expression, resulting in EMT reduction. Adapted and modified from [99].
Figure 3
Figure 3
The pathways involved in colon cancer inhibited by genistein. Adapted and modified from [101].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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