| Estrogenic activities in extracts of female mulberry, Morus alba (Moraceae), were found to be significantly higher than those of male extracts in a transgenic yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) system expressing the human estrogen receptor alpha (hLRa).{09}The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize phytoestrogens in mulberry in an effort to understand their functions in plants. Female mulberry extracts were prepared in ethanol and were hydrolyzed. Chromatographic techniques including solid phase extraction (SPE) and reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) were used to separate fractions, which were further assayed for estrogenic activity. Migration of our SPE fraction (F80) on TLC D-boric treated plates resulted in fluorescent spots representative of flavonoid-like compounds. Estrogenic activity assays and UV-visible scans of HPLC fraction (F18) indicated that it contained mulberry phytoestrogens. Chemical characterization using GC-MS revealed two putative phytoestrogens, 1,6-bis(t-butyl)-4-dimethylbenzyi phenol and butyl phthalyl butyl glycolate. |
