The effect of isoflavonoid contents in SH003 and its subfractions on breast cancer

Objectives: We investigated the isoflavone contained in SH003 and its fractions, and the effect of these components on the inhibition of breast cancer.Methods: The isoflavones in solvent fractions of SH003 extract were identified by UPLC-MS and its contents were quantified using HPLC analysis. The estrogenic activity of SH003 or fractions was assessed by ERE luciferase assay in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 cells. To test the breast cancer inhibitory effect, the cell viability was measured using an MTT assay.Results: In this study, we demonstrated that SH003 and fractions contain 4 isoflavones which are calycosin-7-β-D-glucoside, formononetin-7-β-D-glucoside, calycosin, and formononetin. Despite containing isoflavones, estrogen-dependent transcription activity was not altered by both SH003 and fractions. On the other hand, SH003 and fractions inhibited the cell viability of breast cancer. In addition, its isoflavone components also showed reduced cell viability in various breast cancer cells.Conclusions: Overall, the phytoestrogen included in SH003 and fractions did not influence the estrogenic activity, emphasizing the safety of SH003 and fractions in breast cancer treatment.