Role of phytoestrogens in vascular calcification and bonevascular interactions

Abstract

Osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases are prevalent diseases in postmenopausal women. Vascular calcification is a cellmediated process that leads to the loss of the natural architecture of the arterial vessels due to osteogenic transdifferentiation of smooth muscle cells, and matrix mineralization.
Vascular physiology and osteogenesis (bone formation and remodeling) share a critical
metabolic and functional complexity. Given the emerging integrative nature of the bonevascular
axis, links between both systems are a matter of ongoing interest. In view of the controversy stated about the risks/ benefits of hormone replacement therapy to prevent diseases associated with menopause, phytoestrogens arise as a potential natural therapeutic alternative. In articular,
isoflavones have a strong structural analogy with the human estrogen 17β-estradiol, that allows them to bind to the estrogen receptor and induce estrogenic actions in animal and human cells. Based in on our own experience and the information available in the literature, in this paper we provide an overview of the role of phytoestrogens on vascular and bone tissues, with focus on Genistein actions. We wish that the basic knowledge acquired may contribute to guide clinical decisions for the promotion of natural therapies for the treatment of diseases that conspire against human health.