Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current
    • Special Feature Articles - Most Recent
    • Special Features
    • Colloquia
    • Collected Articles
    • PNAS Classics
    • List of Issues
  • Front Matter
    • Front Matter Portal
    • Journal Club
  • News
    • For the Press
    • This Week In PNAS
    • PNAS in the News
  • Podcasts
  • Authors
    • Information for Authors
    • Editorial and Journal Policies
    • Submission Procedures
    • Fees and Licenses
  • Submit
  • Submit
  • About
    • Editorial Board
    • PNAS Staff
    • FAQ
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Rights and Permissions
    • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Journal Club
  • Subscribe
    • Subscription Rates
    • Subscriptions FAQ
    • Open Access
    • Recommend PNAS to Your Librarian

User menu

  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Home
Home
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Current
    • Special Feature Articles - Most Recent
    • Special Features
    • Colloquia
    • Collected Articles
    • PNAS Classics
    • List of Issues
  • Front Matter
    • Front Matter Portal
    • Journal Club
  • News
    • For the Press
    • This Week In PNAS
    • PNAS in the News
  • Podcasts
  • Authors
    • Information for Authors
    • Editorial and Journal Policies
    • Submission Procedures
    • Fees and Licenses
  • Submit
Research Article

The phytoestrogen genistein induces thymic and immune changes: A human health concern?

Srikanth Yellayi, Afia Naaz, Melissa A. Szewczykowski, Tomomi Sato, Jeffrey A. Woods, Jongsoo Chang, Mariangela Segre, Clint D. Allred, William G. Helferich, and Paul S. Cooke
  1. Departments of *Veterinary Biosciences, ‡Kinesiology, §Food Science and Human Nutrition, and ¶Veterinary Pathobiology, and ‖Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61802

See allHide authors and affiliations

PNAS May 28, 2002 99 (11) 7616-7621; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.102650199
Srikanth Yellayi
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Afia Naaz
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Melissa A. Szewczykowski
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Tomomi Sato
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jeffrey A. Woods
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jongsoo Chang
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Mariangela Segre
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Clint D. Allred
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
William G. Helferich
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Paul S. Cooke
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  1. Edited by R. Michael Roberts, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, and approved March 18, 2002 (received for review December 5, 2001)

  • Article
  • Figures & SI
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Use of soy-based infant formulas and soy/isoflavone supplements has aroused concern because of potential estrogenic effects of the soy isoflavones genistein and daidzein. Here we show that s.c. genistein injections in ovariectomized adult mice produced dose-responsive decreases in thymic weight of up to 80%. Genistein's thymic effects occurred through both estrogen receptor (ER) and non-ER-mediated mechanisms, as the genistein effects on thymus were only partially blocked by the ER antagonist ICI 182,780. Genistein decreased thymocyte numbers up to 86% and doubled apoptosis, indicating that the mechanism of the genistein effect on loss of thymocytes is caused in part by increased apoptosis. Genistein injection caused decreases in relative percentages of thymic CD4+CD8− and double-positive CD4+CD8+ thymocytes, providing evidence that genistein may affect early thymocyte maturation and the maturation of the CD4+CD8− helper T cell lineage. Decreases in the relative percentages of CD4+CD8− thymocytes were accompanied by decreases in relative percentages of splenic CD4+CD8− cells and a systemic lymphocytopenia. In addition, genistein produced suppression of humoral immunity. Genistein injected at 8 mg/kg per day produced serum genistein levels comparable to those reported in soy-fed human infants, and this dose caused significant thymic and immune changes in mice. Critically, dietary genistein at concentrations that produced serum genistein levels substantially less than those in soy-fed infants produced marked thymic atrophy. These results raise the possibility that serum genistein concentrations found in soy-fed infants may be capable of producing thymic and immune abnormalities, as suggested by previous reports of immune impairments in soy-fed human infants.

Footnotes

    • ↵† Present address: Graduate School of Integrated Science, Yokohama City University 22-2 Seto, Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama 236-0027, Japan.

    • ↵** To whom reprint requests should be addressed. E-mail: p-cooke{at}uiuc.edu.

    • This paper was submitted directly (Track II) to the PNAS office.

  • Abbreviations

    ER,
    estrogen receptor;
    KLH,
    keyhole limpet hemocyanin;
    E2,
    estradiol 17-β;
    PI,
    propidium iodide
    • Received December 5, 2001.
    • Copyright © 2002, The National Academy of Sciences
    View Full Text
    PreviousNext
    Back to top
    Article Alerts
    Email Article

    Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on PNAS.

    NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

    Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
    The phytoestrogen genistein induces thymic and immune changes: A human health concern?
    (Your Name) has sent you a message from PNAS
    (Your Name) thought you would like to see the PNAS web site.
    CAPTCHA
    This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
    Citation Tools
    The phytoestrogen genistein induces thymic and immune changes: A human health concern?
    Srikanth Yellayi, Afia Naaz, Melissa A. Szewczykowski, Tomomi Sato, Jeffrey A. Woods, Jongsoo Chang, Mariangela Segre, Clint D. Allred, William G. Helferich, Paul S. Cooke
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 2002, 99 (11) 7616-7621; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.102650199

    Citation Manager Formats

    • BibTeX
    • Bookends
    • EasyBib
    • EndNote (tagged)
    • EndNote 8 (xml)
    • Medlars
    • Mendeley
    • Papers
    • RefWorks Tagged
    • Ref Manager
    • RIS
    • Zotero
    Request Permissions
    Share
    The phytoestrogen genistein induces thymic and immune changes: A human health concern?
    Srikanth Yellayi, Afia Naaz, Melissa A. Szewczykowski, Tomomi Sato, Jeffrey A. Woods, Jongsoo Chang, Mariangela Segre, Clint D. Allred, William G. Helferich, Paul S. Cooke
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences May 2002, 99 (11) 7616-7621; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.102650199
    del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
    • Tweet Widget
    • Facebook Like
    • Mendeley logo Mendeley
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: 99 (11)
    Table of Contents

    Submit

    Sign up for Article Alerts

    Jump to section

    • Article
      • Abstract
      • Methods
      • Results and Discussion
      • Acknowledgments
      • Footnotes
      • Abbreviations
      • References
    • Figures & SI
    • Info & Metrics
    • PDF

    You May Also be Interested in

    Water from a faucet fills a glass.
    News Feature: How “forever chemicals” might impair the immune system
    Researchers are exploring whether these ubiquitous fluorinated molecules might worsen infections or hamper vaccine effectiveness.
    Image credit: Shutterstock/Dmitry Naumov.
    Reflection of clouds in the still waters of Mono Lake in California.
    Inner Workings: Making headway with the mysteries of life’s origins
    Recent experiments and simulations are starting to answer some fundamental questions about how life came to be.
    Image credit: Shutterstock/Radoslaw Lecyk.
    Cave in coastal Kenya with tree growing in the middle.
    Journal Club: Small, sharp blades mark shift from Middle to Later Stone Age in coastal Kenya
    Archaeologists have long tried to define the transition between the two time periods.
    Image credit: Ceri Shipton.
    Mouse fibroblast cells. Electron bifurcation reactions keep mammalian cells alive.
    Exploring electron bifurcation
    Jonathon Yuly, David Beratan, and Peng Zhang investigate how electron bifurcation reactions work.
    Listen
    Past PodcastsSubscribe
    Panda bear hanging in a tree
    How horse manure helps giant pandas tolerate cold
    A study finds that giant pandas roll in horse manure to increase their cold tolerance.
    Image credit: Fuwen Wei.

    Similar Articles

    Site Logo
    Powered by HighWire
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feeds
    • Email Alerts

    Articles

    • Current Issue
    • Special Feature Articles – Most Recent
    • List of Issues

    PNAS Portals

    • Anthropology
    • Chemistry
    • Classics
    • Front Matter
    • Physics
    • Sustainability Science
    • Teaching Resources

    Information

    • Authors
    • Editorial Board
    • Reviewers
    • Subscribers
    • Librarians
    • Press
    • Cozzarelli Prize
    • Site Map
    • PNAS Updates
    • FAQs
    • Accessibility Statement
    • Rights & Permissions
    • About
    • Contact

    Feedback    Privacy/Legal

    Copyright © 2021 National Academy of Sciences. Online ISSN 1091-6490