Pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, toxicity, and formulations of daidzein: An important isoflavone

Abstract Daidzein, 7‐hydroxy‐3‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐4H‐chromen‐4‐one is a naturally occurring compound present in leguminous plants, especially in soybeans. Chemically it belongs to the isoflavone class and possesses high nutritive value. Daidzein acts on estrogen receptor and is non‐steroidal in nature hence it can also be called as non‐steroidal phytoestrogenic compound. Daidzein has been studied by many researchers for its pharmacological activities. Daidzein metabolites were also studied in detail for their health benefits. Researchers have developed novel formulations of daidzein in the past few years to improve its aqueous solubility and bioavailability. Self‐emulsified daidzein, poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic) acid daidzein nanoparticles, nanoemulsion, nanoemulsion gel, and co‐crystals are a few of them. The present review provides detailed information on the chemistry, drug development aspects, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of daidzein. A literature search was performed using various datasets like PubMed, EBSCO, ProQuest Scopus, and selected websites including the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization. Daidzein has a wide range of pharmacodynamic properties in the treatment of cancer, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiac disorders, diabetes and its complication, osteoporosis, and skin disorders. The pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamics, and drug development aspects of daidzein will help researchers to design further research work on daidzein in the future.