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Glyceollin, a soybean phytoalexin with medicinal properties

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Abstract

This review covers the biosynthesis of glyceollin and its biological activities including antiproliferative/antitumor action (toward B16 melanoma cells, LNCaP prostate cancer cells, and BG-1 ovarian cancer cells), anti-estrogenic action (through estrogen receptors α- and β-), antibacterial action (toward Erwinia carotovora, Escherichia coli, Bradyrhizobium japonicum, Sinorhizobium fredii ), antinematode activity, and antifungal activity (toward Fusarium solani, Phakospora pachyrhizi, Diaporthe phaseolorum, Macrophomina phaseolina, Sclerotina sclerotiorum, Phytophthora sojae, Cercospora sojina, Phialophora gregata, and Rhizoctonia solani). Other activities include insulinotropic action and attenuation of vascular contractions in rat aorta.

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Acknowledgments

The award of a direct grant by Medicine Panel, CUHK Research Committee is gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories Hong Kong, China

    Tzi Bun Ng, Xiu Juan Ye, Jack Ho Wong, Evandro Fei Fang, Yau Sang Chan & Wenliang Pan

  2. College of Biological Science and Technology, FuZhou University, Fuzhou, China, 350002

    Xiu Yun Ye

  3. School of Chinese Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Stephen Cho Wing Sze & Kalin Yanbo Zhang

  4. Department of Microbiology, Nankai University, Tianjin, China

    Fang Liu

  5. State Key Laboratory for Agrobiotechnology and Department of Microbiology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, China

    He Xiang Wang

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  1. Tzi Bun Ng
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  2. Xiu Juan Ye
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Correspondence to Tzi Bun Ng or Xiu Yun Ye.

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Ng, T.B., Ye, X.J., Wong, J.H. et al. Glyceollin, a soybean phytoalexin with medicinal properties. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 90, 59–68 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3169-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-011-3169-7

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