https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3339-685X
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Abstract
Androgen is a kind of steroid hormone that plays a vital role in reproductive system and homeostasis of the body. Disrupted androgen balance serves as the causal contributor to a series of physiological disorders and even diseases. Flavonoids, as an extremely frequent family of natural polyphenols, exist widely in plants and foods and have received great attention when considering their inevitable consumption and estrogen-like effects. Mounting evidence illustrates that flavonoids have a propensity to interfere with androgen synthesis and metabolism, and also have a designated improvement effect on androgen disorders. Therefore, flavonoids were divided into six subclasses based on the structural feature in this paper, and the literature about their effects on androgens published in the past ten years was summarized. It could be concluded that flavonoids have the potential to regulate androgen levels and biological effects, mainly by interfering with the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, androgen synthesis and metabolism, androgen binding with its receptors and membrane receptors, and antioxidant effects. The faced challenges about androgen regulation by flavonoids masterly include target mechanism exploration, individual heterogeneity, food matrixes interaction, and lack of clinical study. This review also provides a scientific basis for nutritional intervention using flavonoids to improve androgen disorder symptoms.
Disclosure statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Abbreviations
| 1,3-DCP | = | 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol |
| 11OH-A4 | = | 11OH-androstenedione |
| 17β-HSD | = | 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase |
| 3-MCPD | = | 3-Chloro-1,2-propanediol |
| 3β-HSD | = | 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase |
| AMPK | = | adenosine 5-monophosphate-activated protein kinase |
| AD | = | androgen deficiency |
| AR | = | androgen receptor |
| A4 | = | Androstenedione |
| BPH | = | benign prostatic hyperplasia |
| Cd | = | cadmium |
| CYP11A1 | = | cytochrome P450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage |
| C3G | = | cyanidin-3-O-glucoside |
| cAMP | = | cyclic adenosine monophosphate |
| CYP17A1 | = | cytochrome P450 17α-hydroxylase/17,20-lyase |
| DHEA | = | Dehydroepiandrosterone |
| DHEAS | = | dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate |
| DEHP | = | di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate |
| DHT | = | Dihydrotestosterone |
| EDCs | = | endocrine-disrupting compounds |
| EGCG | = | epigallocatechin gallate |
| E2 | = | estradiol |
| Fdx1 | = | ferredoxin1 |
| FSH | = | follicle-stimulating hormone |
| FSHR | = | follicle-stimulating hormone receptor |
| GnRH | = | gonadotropin-releasing hormone |
| GPRC6A | = | G Protein-coupled receptor family C group 6 member A |
| GA | = | gallic acid |
| GATA1 | = | GATA-binding factor 1 |
| IC50 | = | half-maximal inhibition |
| HAART | = | Highly active antiretroviral therapy |
| HPG | = | hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal |
| LH | = | luteinizing hormone |
| LHR | = | luteinizing hormone receptor |
| MMPs | = | matrix metalloproteinases |
| NAFLD | = | nonalcoholic fatty liver disease |
| PI3K | = | phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase |
| PCOS | = | polycystic ovary syndrome |
| PREG | = | pregnenolone |
| PROG | = | progesterone |
| PCa | = | prostate cancer |
| PKA | = | protein kinase A |
| PCA | = | protocatechuic acid |
| RoDH2 | = | retinol dehydrogenase 2 |
| SRD5A | = | steroid 5α-reductase |
| StAR | = | steroidogenic acute response protein |
| SULT | = | sulfotransferase |
| UGTs | = | uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyl transferase |
| uPAR | = | urokinase plasminogen activator receptors |
| ZIP9 | = | zinc transporter member 9 |