For tens of thousands of years, man has discovered and successfully utilized certain plants for their special properties. One of the most important components of these plants is the pigment called “polyphenol”. Throughout the world, plants that contain polyphenols, otherwise known as “phytoestrogens”, have been used as crude drugs to relieve the symptoms of various physical disorders. Today, mankind develops and manufactures polyphenols for use in daily products such as health foods, herbal medicine, cosmetics, aromas, etc.
Our EstrArray microarray analytical technology has been used to confirm hundreds of genes whose response is highly sensitive when plant polyphenols are introduced into certain responding cells. Based on our findings using our analysis technique, we have concluded that “polyphenol” = “phytoestrogen” (whose components are similar to female sex hormones).
We anticipate that Scinet’s new EstrArray gene expression profiling method will enable us to investigate new effects and properties of polyphenols and to discover new effects and uses of plant-derived products.
Also, since polyphenols seem to exhibit signals of genetic development and regulation, similar to those being sent via estrogen from a mother to the baby in her womb, we are optimistic that our technology may prove useful in the development of treatments of ailments resulting from insufficient levels of natural estrogen in the human body. For example, phytoestrogens are considered beneficial to counteract the effects of hormonal imbalances women begin to experience during perimenopause and menopause, often psychological, such as irritability, hot flashes, mental fatigue, and depression. On the physical side, an increase in dietary phytoestrogen may reduce or prevent certain types of cancers, treat arteriosclerosis, protect against osteoporosis, and help with weight loss, etc.
In addition, it is our hope that Scinet’s technology can be used to develop treatments to retard the aging process (anti-aging), mitigate hair loss, improve the body’s immune system, and to serve as a useful tool for product development of safer new drugs, foods, cosmetics, etc.
Ideally we will be able to give peace of mind to those who are uneasy about the use of synthetic drugs and chemicals, and provide an globally accepted standardized analytical technique as an Alternative to Animal Testing. provide accomplish, without the need for using crude drugs discovered by analytical techniques.
The functional analysis of phytoestrogens promises great results at the forefront of new gene development and the field of nutritional research (nutrigenomics).
Please click here if you would like to know more about the basic function of estrogen.