Planta Med 2007; 73 - P_537
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-987317

Prospects and Challenges of Cross Kingdom's Bioassay

FR Chang 1, YC Wu 1, H Nozaki 2, NH Chua 3, JH Dai 1, WC Lai 1, K Hayashi 2
  • 1Graduate Institute of Natural Products, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 807, Taiwan
  • 2Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, Okayama University of Science, 1–1 Ridai-cho, Okayama 700–0005, Japan,
  • 3Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, New York 10021

In year 2005, a brand-new cross kingdom's (from Plantae to Animalia) bioassay method was established [1], the transgenic Arabidopsis plant, pER8-GFP, harboring human estrogen receptor was taken as a powerful tool in searching and discovering natural estrogen-agonists/antagonists. The remarkable outcomes show that this assay tool could screen estrogen-agonist/antagonists from natural sources. To our best understanding, it is the first study in using the higher plants as an assay tool in screening the bioactive functions related to human beings.

Since the assay model established, we have screened over 100 natural products' extracts (including well-known gynecologic traditional Chinese medicine) and fractions using bioactivity guided fractionation method and evaluated their potential for the uses of phytoestrogenic dietary supplements. Several natural pure compounds with estrogenic effect have been discovered. Meanwhile, the optimizing extracts with significant estrogenic activity of soybean and Pueraria lobata will be also reported. This new and special transgenic assay technology shows some new aspects and challenges in the further studies.

Acknowledgements: 1. National Science Council, Taiwan

References: [1] Chang F. R. et al. (2005) J. Nat. Prod. 68: 971–973