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(Journal of Nutrition. 2000;130:1887-1893.)
© 2000 The American Society for Nutritional Sciences


Article

Isoflavone Aglycone–Rich Extract without Soy Protein Attenuates Atherosclerosis Development in Cholesterol-Fed Rabbits

Jun Yamakoshi1, Mariusz K. Piskula*,2, Toru Izumi, Koichiro Tobe, Makoto Saito, Shigehiro Kataoka, Akio Obata and Mamoru Kikuchi

Research and Development Division, Kikkoman Corporation, 399 Noda, Noda City, Chiba, 278-0037, Japan and * Noda Institute for Scientific Research, 399 Noda, Noda City, Chiba, 278-0037, Japan

1To whom correspondence should be addressed.


    ABSTRACT
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
The antiatherogenic effect of soy protein with intact isoflavones is well established, but the effects of isoflavones without soy protein have not been determined. We investigated the antiatherogenic effect of an isoflavone aglycone–rich extract (containing 429.4 mg/g isoflavone aglycones) without soy protein from fermented soy in cholesterol-fed rabbits. We fed 12-wk-old New Zealand white male rabbits diets containing 1 g/100 g cholesterol with 0, 0.33 or 1 g/100 g isoflavone aglycones for 8 wk. We also fed the rabbits a diet containing 1 g/100 g cholesterol with 1.09 g/100 g soy saponin–rich extract, a component other than isoflavone aglycones in the isoflavone aglycone–rich extract. Controls did not consume cholesterol, isoflavone aglycones or saponins. The isoflavone aglycone– and saponin-rich extracts did not affect the serum lipid profile of cholesterol-fed rabbits. The serum concentration of daidzein in its conjugated form was significantly higher in the high isoflavone group than in the low isoflavone group. The level of cholesteryl ester hydroperoxide (ChE-OOH) induced by CuSO4 in plasma in the high isoflavone group was significantly less than that in the cholesterol group, and the ChE-OOH levels of LDL in the low and high isoflavone groups were significantly less than those in the cholesterol group. The ChE-OOH levels in plasma and LDL in the saponin group did not differ from the cholesterol group. In the aortic arch, the cholesterol concentration was significantly lower in the high isoflavone group, and malondialdehyde concentration was significantly lower in the low and high isoflavone groups compared with the cholesterol group; however these concentrations in the saponin group did not differ from those in the cholesterol group. The atherosclerotic lesion area of the aortic arch was significantly lower in the isoflavone groups (26.3% lower in the low isoflavone group and 36.9% lower in the high isoflavone group) than in the cholesterol group. The lesion areas were not different in the soy saponin and cholesterol groups. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed fewer oxidized LDL-positive macrophage-derived foam cells in atherosclerotic lesions in the aortic arch of isoflavone groups compared with that of the cholesterol group. These results suggest that the antioxidative action of isoflavones and their antioxidative metabolites inhibit the oxidation of LDL, thereby exerting an antiatherosclerotic effect.


KEY WORDS: • isoflavone aglycone • fermented soy • antioxidant • atherosclerosis • rabbits


    INTRODUCTION
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
There is a great interest in the role of dietary isoflavones in reducing cardiovascular disease, and isoflavones might be responsible in part for the ability of soy to lower the risk of this disease (Anthony et al. 1998Citation , Cassidy and Griffin 1999Citation ). Monkeys fed an atherogenic diet containing isolated soy protein with the isoflavone glucosides [isoflavone glucosides intake, 9.41 mg/(kg body · d)] had significantly lower plasma LDL and VLDL cholesterol levels, and higher HDL cholesterol levels compared with those fed an atherogenic diet containing isolated soy protein with the isoflavones removed [isoflavone glucosides intake, 0.97 mg/(kg body · d)], and the coronary artery atherosclerotic lesions were smaller in the soy protein–containing isoflavone group (Anthony et al. 1997Citation ). Feeding high fat, soy protein–based diets containing isoflavones to C57BL/6 mice resulted in lower plasma cholesterol concentrations and smaller atherosclerotic lesion areas compared with mice fed the same diets without the isoflavones (Kirk et al. 1998Citation ). Therefore, these reports have suggested that isoflavones could be responsible in part for the hypolipidemic and antiatherosclerotic activities of soy. However, when isoflavone aglycone–rich soy extract was added to casein, the serum lipid profile in ovariectomized monkeys was not altered (Greaves et al. 1999Citation ), nor did dietary supplementations with isoflavone aglycones from soy or subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) affect serum lipids in normolipidemic humans (Hodgson et al. 1998Citation , Nestel et al. 1997Citation ).

Soy isoflavones have been shown in vitro to exert effects that may prevent the development of atherosclerosis and subsequent coronary heart disease. The isoflavone aglycones, genistein and daidzein, have scavenging activity (Ruiz-Larrea et al. 1997Citation ) and antioxidant properties (Arora et al. 1998Citation , Lehtonen et al. 1996Citation , Ruiz-Larrea et al. 1997Citation ). Isoflavones display antioxidative activities in both aqueous (Ruiz-Larrea et al. 1997Citation ) and lipophilic phases (Arora et al. 1998Citation , Lehtonen et al. 1996Citation ) and can inhibit lipoprotein oxidation in serum (Hodgson et al. 1996Citation ) and LDL oxidation in vitro (de Whalley et al. 1990Citation , Kanazawa et al. 1995Citation , Kapiotis et al. 1997Citation ). The daidzein metabolites, equol and O-desmethylangolesin (O-DMA),3 were more potent inhibitors of lipoprotein oxidation than daidzein or genistein in serum (Hodgson et al. 1996Citation ). Therefore, dietary isoflavones may reduce atherosclerosis through their antioxidant activity. However, the antiatherogenic effects of isoflavones have not been demonstrated in vivo.

In this study, we investigated the effect of an isoflavone aglycone–rich extract free of any soy protein, prepared from fermented soy, on experimental atherogenesis in rabbits.


    MATERIALS AND METHODS
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Chemicals.

Daidzein (>99%) and genistein (>99%) were purchased from Sigma Chemical (St. Louis, MO). Glycitein (>95%) and equol (98%) were purchased from Fujicco (Kobe, Japan) and Funakoshi (Tokyo, Japan), respectively. Other chemicals were of analytical or HPLC grade.

Isoflavone aglycone–rich extract and soy saponin–rich extract.

The isoflavone aglycone–rich extract (SoyActTM) was provided by Kikkoman Corporation (Noda City, Chiba, Japan). The extract was produced by the fermentation of soy, followed by ethanol/water extraction and purification. Soy saponin-rich extract was prepared from the isoflavone aglycone–rich extract, followed by ethanol/ethyl acetate extraction. For analysis of isoflavones in these extracts, 1 mg of the extract was mixed with 2.5 mL dimethyl sulfoxide, and the solution was sonicated with an ultrasonicator (Branson, Model B1210J-DTH, Tokyo, Japan). Concentrations of isoflavones (genistein, daidzein and glycitein) in the solution were analyzed by HPLC with a CAPCELLPAK C18 AG 120 column (4.6 x 150 mm, Shiseido, Tokyo, Japan). A mixture of acetonitrile/water/trifluoroacetic acid (25:75:0.1, v/v/v) was used as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. Isoflavones in the eluate were detected by their absorbance at 254 nm. The concentration was calculated from the standard curve of the authentic compound. For determination of main soy saponins, those extracts were heated at 90°C for 1 h in 2 mol/L NaOH and analyzed on a HPLC system with ODSAQ AQ-312 column (6.0 x 150 mm, YMC, Kyoto, Japan) (Ireland and Dziedzic 1985Citation ). Protein content was determined by the Kjeldahl method. Sugar content was determined by the method of Somogyi (1952)Citation . Fat was extracted using chloroform:methanol (2:1, v/v) and weighed. Moisture was determined as the loss in weight after drying at 105°C for 24 h. Ash content was determined by the direct ignition method (550°C overnight). Fiber was determined by the method of Prosky et al. (1984)Citation . The isoflavone aglycone–rich extract was subjected to SDS-PAGE on a 12.5% gel by the method of Laemmli (1970)Citation ; the gel was stained with Coomassie Brilliant Blue R-250.

Animals and diets.

Cholesterol-fed New Zealand white rabbits were used because of their extensive utilization in research on antiatherogenic agents. New Zealand white male rabbits (n = 31; 12-wk-old; Nippon Bio-Supply, Tokyo, Japan) were divided into five groups. They were individually housed in metal cages in an air-conditioned room (23 ± 1°C, 55 ± 5%, humidity). Powdered diets were prepared every 8 wk and stored at 4°C. Throughout the experiment period, the rabbits were given restricted amounts (90 g/d) of each diet, because the extent of atherosclerosis depended on cholesterol intake (Bocan et al. 1993Citation ). Rabbits had free access to tap water. A control group of seven rabbits was fed a standard nonpurified diet (RM-4, Funabashi Farm, Chiba, Japan), which was composed of 142 g/kg protein as alfalfa meal flour, wheat bran, barley, casein, corn grain and meat meal flour, 508 g/kg carbohydrate, 120 g/kg fiber, 119 g/kg moisture, 79 g/kg ash and 32 g/kg fat. The seven rabbits in the cholesterol group were fed the standard diet containing 1 g/100 g cholesterol. The seven rabbits in the low isoflavone group were fed the standard diet containing a 0.78 g/100 g isoflavone aglycone–rich extract plus 1 g/100 g cholesterol, and the seven rabbits in the high isoflavone group were fed the standard diet containing a 2.33 g/100 g isoflavone aglycone–rich extract plus 1 g/100 g cholesterol. Three rabbits in the soy saponin group were fed the standard diet containing a 1.09 g/100 g saponin-rich extract plus 1 g/100 g cholesterol. Food intake was monitored by measuring the food remaining each day, and body weight was determined every 2 wk. Isoflavone aglycone–rich extract intakes, isoflavone aglycone (genistein plus daidzein plus glycitein) intakes and saponin intake were calculated from food intakes and body weights. Blood samples were drawn from the marginal ear veins at 6 and 8 wk and centrifuged at 1000 x g for 10 min. at 4°C to obtain serum or plasma. The blood was collected at 6 wk into tubes coated with EDTA or sodium heparin, and centrifuged to obtain plasma. At the end of 8 wk, the rabbits were killed with an overdose of sodium phenobarbital. During the experiment, the rabbits received humane care consistent with institutional guidelines.

Biochemical analyses.

Serum total cholesterol and triglyceride were measured enzymatically (Richmond 1973Citation , Tamaoku et al. 1982Citation ). The density of serum was adjusted with KBr solution, and lipoproteins (VLDL, LDL, HDL and HDL3) were fractionated by ultracentrifugation at 223,000 x g for 4 h (Havel et al. 1955Citation ). HDL2 cholesterol was calculated by the equation (total HDL cholesterol - HDL3 cholesterol). Serum lipoperoxide were measured as thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) by fluorometric assay (Yagi 1976Citation ).

LDL were isolated from fresh plasma in the density range of 1.019–1.063 kg/L by short-run ultracentrifugation (Kleinveld et al. 1992Citation ). LDL were dialyzed for 20 h at 4°C against PBS (pH 7.4). The protein concentration of LDL was determined by the method of Bradford (1976)Citation . CuSO4 was added to both plasma and the LDL suspension. The final concentrations of CuSO4 in reaction mixtures were 200 µmol/L in plasma and 5 µmol/L in the LDL suspension. The reaction mixtures were incubated at 37°C for 4 h and cholesteryl ester hydroperoxide (ChE-OOH) was measured by HPLC using a TSK gel Octyl-80 Ts column (4.6 x 100 mm; TOSOH, Tokyo, Japan). The ChE-OOH concentrations were calculated from the standard curve of the hydroperoxy derivative of cholesteryl linoleate (Arai et al. 1996Citation ).

Serum concentrations of isoflavones (genistein and daidzein) and their metabolites (p-ethyl phenol and equol) at 6 wk were measured by a method described in detail elsewhere (Piskula and Terao 1998Citation , Piskula et al. 1999Citation ). Briefly, nonconjugated (free) isoflavones were extracted from serum with methanol/acetic acid (95:5, v/v), centrifuged at 5000 x g for 10 min at 4°C and after dilution, the supernatant was analyzed by HPLC with a TSK gel ODS-80TS column (4.6 x 150 mm, TOSOH, Japan). The flow of the mobile phase composed of water/methanol/acetic acid (58:40:2, v/v/v) containing 50 mmol/L lithium acetate was set at 0.9 mL/min. The elute was monitored with an amperometric electrochemical detector (ICA-3060, TOA, Tokyo, Japan) with the working potential set at +950 mA. For determination of the serum total concentration of isoflavones (conjugated and free), serum was subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis with H-5 sulfatase containing 25 units of sulfatase and 500 units of ß-glucuronidase (Sigma Chemical). Conjugated isoflavones (glucuronide and sulfate conjugates) were calculated by the equation (total isoflavone - free isoflavone). The authentic standards of genistein, daidzein, p-ethyl phenol and equol methanolic solution were used as references.

Portions of the aortic arch and thoracic aorta were homogenized in chloroform/methanol (2:1, v/v) and analyzed for total cholesterol. The remaining aorta samples were added to 10 volumes (wt/v) of cold 0.1 mol/L PBS (pH 7.0) and homogenized. The homogenates were analyzed for malondialdehyde (MDA) (Esterbauer and Cheeseman 1990Citation ).

Aorta preparation and staining.

The aortic arch and thoracic aorta were fixed in 10% buffered formalin solution and stained with Sudan IV to reveal sudanophilic plaques (Holman et al. 1958Citation ). The surface area of the atherosclerotic lesions was measured with an Olympus SP500F image analyzer (Olympus Optical, Tokyo, Japan) and expressed as a percentage of the total surface area of the aortic intima.

Immunohistochemistry.

The aortic arch was fixed in 4% buffered paraformaldehyde solution. Serial sections of the aortic arch were stained with monoclonal antibody RAM11 (a rabbit macrophage-specific antibody: DAKO, Copenhagen, Denmark), HHF35 (a muscle actin-specific antibody: DAKO), and FOH1a/DLH3 (oxidized LDL antibody) (Itabe et al. 1994Citation ) by the streptavidin-peroxidase conjugate method (Shi et al. 1988Citation ). The stained sections of the aortic arch of all rabbits were examined by microscope.

Statistical analysis.

Statistical analysis was evaluated by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s significant difference test to identify significantly different means; SPSS for Windows software, Release 8.0 (SPSS, Chicago, IL) was used. Log transformations of raw data were done in cases of unequal variances. Values in the text are means ± SD.


    RESULTS
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Composition of isoflavone aglycone–rich extract and saponin-rich extract.

The isoflavone aglycone–rich extract was composed of 429.4 mg/g isoflavones as the aglycone form (192.0 mg/g genistein, 211.2 mg/g daidzein and 26.2 mg/g glycitein), 112.3 mg/g saponin, 132.4 mg/g protein, 126.0 mg/g sugar, 50.0 mg/g fat, 29.1 mg/g moisture, 20.4 mg/g ash and 1 mg/g fiber. The protein component of the extract was composed of amino acids and peptides, which had molecular weights < 10,000 because no clear bands were detected by SDS-PAGE of the extract. The extract did not contain vitamin E. The saponin-rich extract was composed of 239.8 mg/g soy saponin, 24.2 mg/g isoflavones, 265.3 mg/g protein, 282.1 mg/g sugar, 10.9 mg/g fat, 32.8 mg/g moisture, 53.5 mg/g ash.

Food intake, growth, isoflavone and soy saponin intakes.

There were no significant differences in food intake among the groups (data not shown). Body weight at end of the 8-wk feeding period was 2.6 ± 0.3 kg. The isoflavone aglycone–rich extract intakes were 272 ± 14 mg/(kg body · d) in the low isoflavone group and 754 ± 66 mg/(kg body · d) in the high isoflavone group. Isoflavone aglycone and soy saponin intakes were 116 ± 6 and 31 ± 2 mg/(kg body · d) in the low isoflavone group, and 324 ± 29 and 85 ± 7 mg/(kg body · d) in the high isoflavone group, respectively. In the soy saponin group, isoflavone aglycone and saponin intakes were 10 ± 2 and 121 ± 23 mg/(kg body · d), respectively.

Serum lipid and TBARS concentrations.

The serum lipid profile (total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, etc.) and TBARS levels in the isoflavone groups did not differ from the cholesterol group (Table 1Citation ). In the saponin group, the serum lipid profile and TBARS level also did not differ from the cholesterol group (Table 1)Citation .


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Table 1. Serum lipid and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) concentrations in rabbits fed 1% cholesterol or 1% isoflavone aglycones plus 1% cholesterol at 8 wk1

 
Concentrations of genistein, daidzein and their metabolites, p-ethyl phenol and equol, in serum.

In the sera of rabbits fed the isoflavone aglycone–rich extract, most of the isoflavones and their metabolites were present in conjugated forms, and a small amount in the free form. The serum concentration of daidzein in the conjugated form was significantly higher in the high isoflavone group (10.15 ± 7.75 µmol/L) than in the low isoflavone group (1.75 ± 0.96 µmol/L) (P < 0.05, statistical analysis was performed on log-transformed data.). Serum concentration of genistein in the conjugated form tended to be higher in the high isoflavone group than in the low isoflavone group (P = 0.085). Serum concentrations of p-ethyl phenol and equol in the conjugated forms in the high isoflavone group did not differ from those in the low isoflavone group. Neither isoflavones nor their metabolites were detectable in sera from control and cholesterol group rabbits.

Copper-mediated plasma or LDL oxidation.

The plasma ChE-OOH level in the high isoflavone group was significantly lower than in the cholesterol group (Table 2Citation ). ChE-OOH levels of LDL were significantly lower in the low and high isoflavone groups than in the cholesterol group (Table 2)Citation . ChE-OOH levels of plasma and LDL in the saponin group did not differ from the cholesterol group (Table 2)Citation .


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Table 2. Copper ion-induced plasma or LDL oxidation in rabbits fed 1% cholesterol or 1% isoflavone aglycones plus 1% cholesterol at 6 wk1

 
Total cholesterol and MDA concentrations in the aorta.

Cholesterol concentration in the aortic arch was significantly lower in the high isoflavone group than in the cholesterol group (Table 3Citation ). The MDA concentration in the aortic arch was significantly lower in the low and high isoflavone groups than in the cholesterol group (Table 3)Citation . Cholesterol and MDA concentrations in the aortic arch of the soy saponin–fed group did not differ from the cholesterol group (Table 3)Citation .


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Table 3. Total cholesterol and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations in the aorta of rabbits fed 1% cholesterol or 1% isoflavone aglycones plus 1% cholesterol1

 
Extent of atherosclerosis.

The extent of atherosclerosis in the aortic arch was significantly reduced in the low and high isoflavone groups by 26.3 (P < 0.05) and 36.9% (P < 0.01), respectively, and also in the thoracic aorta by 41.6 and 57.3% (P < 0.01), respectively, compared with those of the cholesterol group (Table 4Citation ). The lesion area of the aortic arch in the saponin group did not differ from the cholesterol group (Table 4)Citation .


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Table 4. Atherosclerotic lesion area in the aorta of rabbits fed 1% cholesterol or 1% isoflavone aglycones plus 1% cholesterol1

 
Immunohistochemical findings.

Oxidized LDL were detected in the cytoplasm of the macrophage-derived foam cells (RAM 11-positive cells) in the atherosclerotic lesions by immunohistochemical analysis (Fig. 1Citation ). The number of oxidized LDL-positive macrophage-derived foam cells in atherosclerotic lesions in the aortic arch was lower in both isoflavone groups compared with the cholesterol group (Fig. 1)Citation . No smooth muscle cells (HHF 35-positive cells) were observed in the atherosclerotic lesions in the cholesterol-fed groups.



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Figure 1. Aortic atherosclerotic lesions of rabbits fed 1% cholesterol (panels A and C) and rabbits fed 1% isoflavone aglycones plus 1% cholesterol (panels B and D). Panels A and B were stained with monoclonal antibody RAM11. Panels C and D were also stained with monoclonal antibody FOH1a/DLH3; magnification X50. (A) Many macrophage-derived foam cells (these cells are stained brown) are observed in the lesion of a rabbit fed cholesterol. (B) Few macrophage-derived foam cells are observed in the lesion of a rabbit fed isoflavone aglycones. (C) Oxidized LDL are observed in the wide cytoplasm of many macrophage-derived foam cells in the lesion of a rabbit fed cholesterol. (D) Oxidized LDL (arrowheads) are observed in the narrow cytoplasm of limited macrophage-derived foam cells in the lesion of a rabbit fed isoflavone aglycones.

 

    DISCUSSION
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 
Soy isoflavone aglycones have been reported to have a variety of biological activities, including antioxidative (Kapiotis et al. 1997Citation ), estrogenic (Shutt and Cox 1972Citation ), antiosteoporotic (Anderson and Garner 1997Citation ) and anticarcinogenic activities (Herman et al. 1995Citation ). Soy isoflavone aglycones reduced the development of mammary carcinoma (Lamartiniere et al. 1995Citation ), carcinoma in prostate and seminal vesicles (Onozawa et al. 1999Citation ) and skin tumors (Wei et al. 1998Citation ), but had no effect on colon carcinogenesis (Davies et al. 1999Citation ) or intestinal neoplasia in ApcMin mouse (Sorensen et al. 1998Citation ). On the other hand, soy isoflavone aglycones might enhance colon carcinogenesis in azoxymethane-treated rats (Rao et al. 1997Citation ). In vitro, soy isoflavones aglycones inhibited the oxidative modification of LDL by macrophages (Kapiotis et al. 1997Citation ), enhanced the resistance of LDL to oxidation (de Whalley et al. 1990Citation , Kanazawa et al. 1995Citation ) and exhibited antioxidative activities in both the aqueous (Ruiz-Larrea et al. 1997Citation ) and lipophilic phases (Arora et al. 1998Citation , Lehtonen et al. 1996Citation ), which may prevent the development of atherosclerosis and subsequent coronary heart disease. However, the antiatherogenic effect of isoflavones without soy protein has not been demonstrated in vivo.

In this study, we showed that an isoflavone aglycone–rich extract from fermented soy inhibited progression of atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits, without affecting serum cholesterol levels. A reduction in atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta was associated with increasing doses of the isoflavone aglycone–rich extract in the diet (Table 4)Citation . The isoflavone aglycone–rich extract contained small amounts of soy saponin, amino acids and peptides. We examined the antiatherosclerotic effect of the soy saponins and found that atherosclerotic lesion areas were not different in the saponin and cholesterol groups. These results suggest the antiatherosclerotic activity of the isoflavone aglycone–rich extract is due mainly to isoflavones.

In our study, the standard diet contained 6.44 g/100 g alfalfa meal. Hanson et al. (1973)Citation reported that the saponin concentration in alfalfa was 1.78–3.59 g/100 g; thus our standard diet contained a maximum of 0.231 g/100 g saponin from alfalfa. Malinow et al. (1980)Citation reported that plasma cholesterol and atherosclerotic lesions were lower in rabbits fed a diet containing 1.0–1.2 g/100 g alfalfa saponin plus 0.1 g/100 g cholesterol than in rabbits fed a diet containing 0.1 g/100 g cholesterol alone. However, the rabbits in our study fed the standard diet containing 1 g/100 g cholesterol developed severe atherosclerosis. These results suggested that the small amount of saponin from alfalfa in the diet did not influence atherosclerosis development in the cholesterol-fed rabbits in our study.

Feeding an isoflavone aglycone–rich extract to rabbits decreased ChE-OOH levels induced by CuSO4 in both plasma and LDL (Table 2)Citation . The concentrations of serum isoflavones increased after the extract feeding. The isoflavone aglycone–rich extract also decreased the aortic MDA concentration in rabbits (Table 3)Citation . In our immunohistochemical study, the number of foam cells originating from macrophages that had contained oxidized LDL decreased more in the atherosclerotic lesions of rabbits fed the isoflavone aglycone–rich extract plus cholesterol than in the lesions of rabbits fed cholesterol alone. These results suggest that isoflavones and/or their antioxidative metabolites inhibit oxidation of LDL, thereby exerting an antiatherosclerotic effect.

Subendothelial accumulation of foam cells, derived primarily from monocytes and macrophages by uptake of oxidized LDL, plays a key role in the initiation of atherosclerosis (Holvoet and Collen 1998Citation ). In this and other recent studies, we showed that aortic MDA concentration and the number of oxidized LDL-positive macrophage-derived foam cells in atherosclerotic lesions increased in the aortae of rabbits fed cholesterol (Yamakoshi et al. 1999Citation ). These results suggest that lipid peroxidation is an important step in atherogenesis in cholesterol-fed rabbits.

Isoflavone aglycone–rich extract feeding decreased ChE-OOH levels in both plasma and LDL (Table 2)Citation . In vitro, soy isoflavones and their metabolic products inhibited lipoprotein oxidation in serum (Hodgson et al. 1996Citation ). In vivo, most of the main isoflavoids of soy, genistein and daidzein, and the genistein metabolite, p-ethyl phenol, and the daidzein metabolites, equol and O-DMA, are conjugated in the liver and released into the circulation. Glucuronide or sulfate conjugates may associate with the LDL surface layer. LDL isolated from subjects after the intake of soy-containing isoflavones were less susceptible to oxidation than LDL isolated from individuals consuming a soy-free diet. However, only minute amounts of unmodified isoflavone, corresponding to approximately one isoflavone molecule/500 LDL molecules, were found in LDL (Tikkanen et al. 1998Citation ). Some reports have indicated that endogenous human estrogens can be converted to lipid-soluble esters in human tissues and become incorporated into LDL (Hochberg et al. 1991Citation , Larner et al. 1993Citation , Shwaery et al. 1997Citation ). Meng et al. (1999)Citation reported that some isoflavone oleic acid esters increased the oxidation resistance of LDL after their incorporation in vitro. In our study, some lipid-soluble isoflavones such as esterified isoflavones might also have been incorporated into LDL, thereby inhibiting LDL oxidation. However, there is currently no evidence that isoflavones are converted to such lipid metabolites in vivo.

In this study, the isoflavone aglycone–rich extract did not affect the serum lipid profile of cholesterol-fed rabbits. The isoflavone aglycone–rich soy extract added to casein did not alter the serum lipid profile in ovariectomized monkeys (Greaves et al. 1999Citation ), nor did dietary supplementation with isoflavone aglycones from soy or subterranean clover change serum lipid concentrations in normolipidemic humans (Hodgson et al. 1998Citation , Nestel et al. 1997Citation ). Taken together, these results suggest that isoflavones without soy protein did not alter the serum lipid profile. It has been suggested that isoflavones could be responsible in part for the hypocholesterolemic effect of soy protein (Anderson et al. 1995Citation ). Greaves et al. (1999)Citation reported that other components of soy protein, either alone or in combination with isoflavones, might be involved in this effect.

Genistein inhibited the migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells in vitro (Fujio et al. 1993Citation , Shimokado et al. 1994Citation and 1995Citation ), and might also suppress thrombus formation by inhibiting platelet activation (Kuruvilla et al. 1993Citation , Murphy et al.1993Citation ) and aggregation (Asahi et al. 1992Citation , McNicol 1993Citation ), and reducing platelet serotonin uptake in vitro (Helmeste and Tang 1995Citation ). The migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells and thrombus formation are important steps in the atherosclerotic process. In this study, neither smooth muscle cells nor thrombus was observed in the atherosclerotic lesions of cholesterol-fed groups.

In this study, we showed that the serum concentration of daidzein in the conjugated form differed significantly according to isoflavone level, but serum concentration of genistein in the conjugated form did not differed significantly, although it tended (P = 0.085) to increase in serum with increasing isoflavone level in the diet. The plasma concentration of daidzein in the conjugated form tended to be slightly higher than that of genistein in the conjugated form when daidzein and genistein were administered orally to rats at a dose of 7.9 µmol/kg body weight (Piskula et al. 1999Citation ). Daidzein may be absorbed more than genistein in rabbits as well. Further studies are required to elucidate the absorption and excretion of isoflavones in rabbits.

We did not measure the concentration of O-DMA, which is one of the daidzein metabolites, in serum. Although O-DMA, along with equol, was a more potent inhibitor of in vitro lipoprotein oxidation in serum than the two major dietary isoflavones, genistein and daidzein (Hodgson et al. 1996Citation ), O-DMA production from daidzein was minor compared with equol in humans (Setchell and Aldercreutz 1988Citation ).

In conclusion, an isoflavone aglycone–rich extract inhibited progression of atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits. These results suggest that the antioxidative action of isoflavones and their antioxidative metabolites inhibit the oxidation of LDL, thereby exerting an antiatherosclerotic effect.


    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 
We thank H. Itabe, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Pathology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo University, for his kind supply of the monoclonal antibody FOH1a/DLH3. We thank S. Ishii and N. Yamaji, Research and Development Division, Kikkoman Corporation, for helpful discussion and suggestions; we also thank Y. Iwai, T. Someya, K. Watanabe, T. Nakamura and K. Suzuki, Research and Development Division, Kikkoman Corporation, and K. Moro, Noda Institute for Scientific Research, for their technical assistance.


    FOOTNOTES
 
2 Permanent address: Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Tuwima 10, 10–747 Olsztyn, Poland. Back

3 Abbreviations used: ChE-OOH, cholesteryl ester hydroperoxide; MDA, malondialdehyde; O-DMA, O-desmethylangolesin; TBARS, thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances. Back

Manuscript received September 17, 1999. Initial review completed October 29, 1999. Revision accepted February 14, 2000.


    REFERENCES
 TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS
 DISCUSSION
 REFERENCES
 

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