Can Isoflavone-Rich Legume Plants Be Useful in the Chemoprevention of Hormone-Dependent Cancers? - A Systematic Review

Sep 21, 2026

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Plants from the Fabaceae family are widely distributed and are a rich source of isoflavones, compounds with estrogenlike activity. Isoflavones are investigated for chemopreventive effects against hormone-dependent cancers. Following PRISMA, the review assessed how Fabaceae plant extracts influence hormone-dependent cancer cells and the content of active compounds in raw plant materials. Results from 63 in vitro and in vivo studies were synthesized to evaluate anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and cytotoxic potential, identify species with high phytoestrogen and bioactivity profiles, and outline limitations and future research directions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages27

Reading Time1 h 8 min

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1. Introduction

Chemoprevention concept and mechanisms

Role of detoxification and enzyme regulation

Nrf2/Keap1 and cytoprotective gene activation

Cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and inflammatory pathways

Antioxidant mechanisms and examples of natural chemopreventive compounds

Isoflavones and estrogen receptor-related activity

Review Can Isoflavone-Rich Legume Plants Be Useful in the Chemoprevention of Hormone-Dependent Cancers?—A Systematic Review Wojciech Pa´zdziora 1,2, Paweł Pa´sko 3, Karolina Grabowska 1 and Agnieszka Galanty 1, * Citation: Pa´zdziora, W.; Pa´sko, P.; Grabowska, K.; Galanty, A. Can Isoflavone-Rich Legume Plants Be Useful in the Chemoprevention of Hormone-Dependent Cancers?—A Systematic Review. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 7389. [https://doi.org/](https://doi.org/)[ ](https://doi.org/)[10.3390/ijms25137389](10.3390/ijms25137389) Academic Editors: Teresa Leszczy ´nska, Barbara Borczak and Joanna Kapusta-Duch Received: 3 June 2024 Revised: 2 July 2024 Accepted: 3 July 2024 Published: 5 July 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Department of Pharmacognosy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Kraków, Poland; [wojciech.pazdziora@doctoral.uj.edu.pl](wojciech.pazdziora@doctoral.uj.edu.pl) (W.P.); [karolina1.grabowska@uj.edu.pl](karolina1.grabowska@uj.edu.pl) (K.G.) 2 Doctoral School of Medical and Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 16 Łazarza Str., 31-530 Cracow, Poland 3 Department of Food Chemistry and Nutrition, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Medyczna 9, 30-688 Kraków, Poland; [p.pasko@uj.edu.pl](p.pasko@uj.edu.pl) * Correspondence: [agnieszka.galanty@uj.edu.pl](agnieszka.galanty@uj.edu.pl) Abstract: Plants from the Fabaceae family are widely distributed around the world, especially in Europe, Asia and North America. They are a rich source of isoflavones, compounds with estrogenlike activity, which are suspected of having a chemopreventive effect against hormone-dependent cancers. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we conducted a systematic review aimed at assessing the impact of Fabaceae plant extracts on hormone-dependent cancer cells and the content of active compounds in plant raw materials. We analyzed the results of 63 articles from in vitro and in vivo studies describing the effect of plant extracts containing isoflavones on cancer cells, along with their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant potential. In the process, we determined the research limitations and future research directions. The collected results indicate the plant species with potentially high contents of phytoestrogens and anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and cytotoxic properties. They point to the potential use of plants in the diet as a source of compounds offering cancer prevention. Keywords: chemoprevention; breast cancer; prostate cancer; isoflavones; Fabaceae 1. Introduction Chemoprevention is the use of substances of natural or synthetic origin in order to inhibit, reverse or delay the process of carcinogenesis. The idea was created by American pharmacologist Dr. Michael Sporn in the 1970s, who believed that the search for new drugs should be focused both on cancer prevention (chemoprevention) and treatment (chemotherapy). This process is multidirectional and involves many levels of cellular metabolism [1]. The first element is the inhibition of carcinogen activation by stopping the expression or activation of cytochrome P450. The detoxification process is one of the critical stages in which the body, trying to neutralize the procarcinogen using appropriate enzymes and proteins, activates cytochrome P450 into a carcinogen that may have a negative effect on healthy cells. It is also important to stimulate carcinogen detoxification by inducing enzymatic activity, e.g., glutathione S-transferases, epoxide hydrolase or heme oxygenase-1 [2]. Enzymatic induction is possible due to the ability of chemopreventive compounds to break the bond between the nucl

FAQs

What is the purpose of this systematic review?

To assess the impact of Fabaceae plant extracts on hormone-dependent cancer cells and to evaluate the content of active compounds in plant raw materials.

How were eligible studies selected?

The review followed PRISMA guidelines and analyzed results from 63 in vitro and in vivo studies.

Why are isoflavone-rich legumes considered relevant to hormone-dependent cancers?

Isoflavones have structural similarity to estrogen and can bind estrogen receptors, compete with endogenous estrogen, and may influence processes tied to chemoprevention.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Aria