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Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is recognized as a common refractory orthopedic disease that causes severe pain and poor quality of life in patients. Puerarin (Pue), a natural isoflavone glycoside, can promote osteogenesis and inhibit apoptosis of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), demonstrating its great potential in the treatment of osteonecrosis. However, its low aqueous solubility, fast degradation in vivo, and inadequate bioavailability, limit its clinical application and therapeutic efficacy. Tetrahedral framework nucleic acids (tFNAs) are promising novel DNA nanomaterials in drug delivery. In this study, tFNAs as Pue carriers is used and synthesized a tFNA/Pue complex (TPC) that exhibited better stability, biocompatibility, and tissue utilization than free Pue. A dexamethasone (DEX)-treated BMSC model in vitro and a methylprednisolone (MPS)-induced ONFH model in vivo is also established, to explore the regulatory effects of TPC on osteogenesis and apoptosis of BMSCs. This findings showed that TPC can restore osteogenesis dysfunction and attenuated BMSC apoptosis induced by high-dose glucocorticoids (GCs) through the hedgehog and Akt/Bcl-2 pathways, contributing to the prevention of GC-induced ONFH in rats. Thus, TPC is a promising drug for the treatment of ONFH and other osteogenesis-related diseases., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Scope: To assess the existing evidence of associations between consumption of soy and isoflavone and multiple health outcomes., Methods and Results: This is an umbrella review of meta-analyses and systematic reviews of randomized trials and observational studies in humans. 114 Meta-analyses and systematic reviews are identified with 43 unique outcomes. Soy and isoflavone consumption seems more beneficial than harmful for a series of health outcomes. Beneficial associations are identified for cancers, cardiovascular disease, gynecological, metabolic, musculoskeletal, endocrine, neurological, and renal outcomes, particularly in perimenopausal women. Harmful association is only found for gastric cancer (RR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.02-1.36) for high intake of miso soup (1-5 cups per day) in male., Conclusion: Generally, soy and isoflavone consumption is more beneficial than harmful. The results herein support promoting soy intake as part of a healthy diet. Randomized controlled trials are necessary to confirm this finding., (© 2019 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Scope: Soy flour diet (MS) prevented isoflavones from stimulating MCF-7 tumor growth in athymic nude mice, indicating that other bioactive compounds in soy can negate the estrogenic properties of isoflavones. The underlying signal transduction pathways to explain the protective effects of soy flour consumption were studied here., Methods and Results: Ovariectomized athymic nude mice inoculated with MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were fed either Soy flour diet (MS) or purified isoflavone mix diet (MI), both with equivalent amounts of genistein. Positive controls received estradiol pellets and negative controls received sham pellets. GeneChip Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array platform was used to evaluate gene expressions, and results were analyzed using bioinformatics approaches. Tumors in MS-fed mice exhibited higher expression of tumor growth suppressing genes ATP2A3 and BLNK and lower expression of oncogene MYC. Tumors in MI-fed mice expressed a higher level of oncogene MYB and a lower level of MHC-I and MHC-II, allowing tumor cells to escape immunosurveillance. MS-induced gene expression alterations were predictive of prolonged survival among estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer patients, whilst MI-induced gene changes were predictive of shortened survival., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that dietary soy flour affects gene expression differently than purified isoflavones, which may explain why soy foods prevent isoflavones-induced stimulation of MCF-7 tumor growth in athymic nude mice., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Scope: Equol is produced by the intestinal bacteria from isoflavone daidzein. Studies have reported the health benefits of soy can only present or more pronounced in equol producers. This 6-month randomized controlled trial examined the effect of whole soy (soy flour) and purified daidzein on cardiovascular biomarkers and carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) in prehypertensive postmenopausal women who were equol producers., Methods and Results: Two hundred seventy eligible women were randomized to either one of the three treatments: 40 g soy flour (whole soy group), 40 g low-fat milk powder + 63 mg daidzein (daidzein group), or 40 g low-fat milk powder (placebo group) daily each for 6 months. Fasting venous samples were obtained at baseline and end of trial for testing glucose, lipids, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and free fatty acid. Changes in common CIMT were also assessed. Serum LDL-C decreased by 7.95% (95% CI: -15.09∼-0.81%) and 6.32% (95% CI: -13.45∼0.08%), and serum hs-CRP decreased by 0.164 (95% CI: -0.309∼-0.019) and 0.054 (95% CI: -0.199∼0.012) in the whole soy group compared with daidzein and milk placebo groups, respectively. No significant change in CIMT was found., Conclusion: Whole soy, but not purified daidzein, had a beneficial effect on reduction of LDL-C and hs-CRP among prehypertensive equol-producing postmenopausal women., (© 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)