Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Detection of estrogenic activity in herbal teas by in vitro reporter assays

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
European Food Research and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Herbal teas have become popular as alternatives to caffeinated beverages during past two decades. However, toxicological studies of herbal teas have been limited and the safety of herbal teas thus remains unknown. We focused on the estrogenic activities of herbal teas since some of their ingredients are similar to those used in herbal remedies for menopause relief and therefore contain phytoestrogens. To investigate the potential estrogenic activity of extracts prepared from herbal tea mixtures commercially available and to provide useful information for the safety assessment of those products, we initially screened the estrogenic activity in extracts of 15 different herbal teas by an assay using recombinant yeast cells expressing the human estrogen receptor (YES). A distinct estrogenic activity was thus detected in the ethanolic extracts from four herbal tea mixtures. Licorice root was specified as a ingredient responsible for the estrogenic activity in those extracts. In contrast, the aqueous extracts of all herbal tea mixtures we tested exhibited distinct estrogenic activity in YES, thus suggesting the existence of various ingredients that contain estrogenic constituents extractable with water. Among them, the extract of peppermint tea exhibited the highest estrogenic activity. The estrogenic activity in extracts of herbal tea mixtures and specified ingredients were thereafter confirmed by a reporter assay system using transiently transfected HEK293 cells.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Colborn T (1995) Environ Health Perspect 103:135–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kurzer MS, Xu X (1997) Annu Rev Nutr 17:353–381

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Breithofer A, Graumann K, Scicchitano MS, Karathanasis SK, Butt TR, Jungbauer A (1998) J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 67:421–429

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Miksicek RJ (1993) Mol Pharmacol 44:37–43

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Bennetts HW, Underwood EJ, Shier FL (1946) Aust Vet J 22:2–12

    Google Scholar 

  6. Murkies AL, Wilcox G, Davis SR (1998) J Clin Endocrinol Metab 83:297–303

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Price KR, Fenwick GR (1985) Food Addit Contam 2:73–106

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Adlercreutz CHT, Goldin BR, Gorbach SL (1995) J Nutr 125:7578–7703

    Google Scholar 

  9. Tham DM, Gardner CD, Haskell WL (1998) J Clin Endocrinol Metab 83:2223–2235

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gavaler JS, Rosenblum ER, Deal SR, Bowie BT (1995) Proc Soc Exp Bio Med 208:98–102

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Gavaler JS (1998) Alcohol Health Research World 22:220–228

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Klinge CM, Risinger KE, Watts MB, Beck V, Eder R, Jungbauer A (2003) J Agric Food Chem 51:1850–1857

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Gehm BD, McAndrews JM, Chien P-Y, Jameson JL (1997) Proc Natl Acad Sci 94:14138–14143

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Milligan SR, Kalita JC, Heyerick A, Rong H, De Cooman L, De Keukeleire D (1999) J Clin Endocrinol Metab 84:2249–2252.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Milligan SR, Kalita JC, Pocock V, Van De Kauter V, Stevens JF, Deinzer ML, Rong H, De Keukeleire D (2000) J Clin Endocrinol Metab 85:4912–4915

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Kuruto-Niwa R, Inoue S, Ogawa S, Muramatsu M, Nozawa R (2000) J Agric Food Chem 48:6355–6361

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Kitts DD (1987) J Toxicol Environ Health 20:37–49

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Amato P, Christophe S, Mellon PL (2002) Menopause 9:145–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Manteiga R, Park DL, Ali SS (1997) Rev Environ Contam Toxicol 150:1–30

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Shaw D, Leon D, Kolev S, Murray V (1997) Drug Safe 17:342–356

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Tora L, Mullick A, Metzger D, Ponglikitmongkol M, Park I, Chambon P (1989) EMBO J 8:1981–1986

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Kohno H, Gandini O, Curtis SW, Korach KS (1994) Steroids 59:572–578

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Ito H, Fukuda Y, Murata K, Kimura A (1983) J Bacteriol 153:163–168

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Kohno H, Bocchinfuso WP, Gandini O, Curtis SW, Korach KS (1996) J Mol Endocrinol 16:277–285

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Zacharewski T (1997) Environ Sci Technol 31:613–623

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  26. Liu J, Burdette JE, Xu H, Gu C, Van Breemen RB, Bhat KPL, Booth N, Constatinou AI, Pezzuto JM, Fong HHS, Farnsworth NR, Bolton JL (2001) J Agric Food Chem 49:2472–2479

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  27. Zava DT, Blen M, Duwe G (1997) Environ Health Perspect 105(Suppl 3):637–645

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Zava DT, Dollbaum CM, Blen M (1998) Exp Biol Med 217:369–378

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Nomura T, Fukai T, Akiyama T (2002) Pure Appl Chem 74:1199–1206

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Tamir S, Eizenberg M, Somjen D, Stern N, Shelach R, Kaye A, Vaya J (2000) Cancer Res 60:5704–5709

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Tamir S, Eizenberg M, Somjen D, Stern N, Shelach R, Izrael S, Vaya J (2001) J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 78:291–298

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  32. Karuza L, Blazevic N, Soljic Z (1996) Acta Pharmaceutica 46:315–320

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. McKay DL, Blumberg JB (2006) Phytother Res 20:619–633

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  34. Akdogan M, Ozguner M, Kocak A, Oncu M, Cicek E (2004) Urology 64:394–398

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (11307007) from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sport and Culture.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hygiene, Kansai Medical University, 10-15 Fumizonocho, Moriguchi, Osaka, 570-8506, Japan

    Hirao Kohno, Katsuyasu Kouda, Rikio Tokunaga & Yoshiaki Sonoda

Authors
  1. Hirao Kohno
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Katsuyasu Kouda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Rikio Tokunaga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Yoshiaki Sonoda
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hirao Kohno.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kohno, H., Kouda, K., Tokunaga, R. et al. Detection of estrogenic activity in herbal teas by in vitro reporter assays. Eur Food Res Technol 225, 913–920 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-006-0506-7

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-006-0506-7

Keywords

Search

Navigation