AN ISOFLAVONOID DERIVED FROM SOY PRODUCTS. IT INHIBITS PROTEIN-TYROSINE KINASE AND TOPOISOMERASE-II (DNA TOPOISOMERASES, TYPE II) ACTIVITY AND IS USED AS AN ANTINEOPLASTIC AND ANTITUMOR AGENT. EXPERIMENTALLY, IT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO INDUCE G2 PHASE ARREST IN HUMAN AND MURINE CELL LINES.
ADDITIONALLY, GENISTEIN HAS ANTIHELMINTIC ACTIVITY. IT HAS BEEN DETERMINED TO BE THE ACTIVE INGREDIENT IN FELMINGIA VESTITA, WHICH IS A PLANT TRADITIONALLY USED AGAINST WORMS. IT HAS SHOWN TO BE EFFECTIVE IN THE TREATMENT OF COMMON LIVER FLUKE, PORK TREMATODE AND POULTRY CESTODE.
FURTHER, GENISTEIN IS A PHYTOESTROGEN WHICH HAS SELECTIVE ESTROGEN RECEPTOR MODULATOR PROPERTIES.
NATURAL SOURCES OF GENISTEIN INCLUDE TOFU, FAVA BEANS, SOYBEANS, KUDZU, AND LUPIN.
GENISTEIN IS AN FAAH INHIBITOR THAT PREVENTS THE DEGRADATION OF PEA FROM FAAH ENZYME IN BODY & ALSO EXERTS SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS WITH PEA TO REDUCE OXIDATIVE STRESS IN THE OVER-INFLAMED NEURONAL CELLS.
GENISTEIN MAY INHIBIT CANCER CELL GROWTH BY BLOCKING ENZYMES REQUIRED FOR CELL GROWTH.
GENISTEIN MAY DECREASE CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN BY INTERACTING WITH THE NUCLEAR ESTROGEN RECEPTORS TO ALTER THE TRANSCRIPTION OF CELL SPECIFIC GENES. IN RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS, GENISTEIN WAS SEEN TO INCREASE THE RATIO OF NITRIC OXIDE TO ENDOTHELIN AND IMPROVED FLOW-MEDIATED ENDOTHELIUM DEPENDENT VASODILATION IN HEALTHY POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN. IN ADDITION, GENISTEIN MAY HAVE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON GLUCOSE METABOLISM BY INHIBITING ISLET TYROSINE KINASE ACTIVITY AS WELL AS INSULIN RELEASE DEPENDENT ON GLUCOSE AND SULFONYLUREA.