AIM To study effects of genistein and daidzein on triglyceride metabolism of
ovariectomized rats. METHODS 70 Wistar rats
were randomly divided into 7 groups: control group, model group, estrogen group, genistein group of high dose and low dose, daidzein group of high dose and low dose,with 10 rats in each group. All rats were ovariectomized except that of the control group. One week after operation , the soy isoflavones were administrated with different doses of genestein and daidzein for 6 weeks. Seven weeks after operation, the rats were killed, with serum and liver taken, and the levels of serum triglyceride (sTG), liver homogenate triglyceride (hTG) and phospholipids, and
phospholipids index were measured; then a part of liver organ was fixed,and its pathological changes were observed under microscope. RESULTS The content of sTG in liver of
ovariectomized rats of model group increased significantly, there were lots of lipid droplets in its liver cells seven weeks after operation. At the same time, the phospholipid index of ovariectomized rats decreased. Administration of estrogen ordaidzein could attenuate the phospholipial index in ovariectomized rats,but estrogen increased the level of sTG and had harm to liver cells. Genistein did not have any effects. CONCLUSION The effective component of soy isoflavone on triglyceride metabolism of ovariectomized rats is daidzein, which suppresses the increase of triglyceride content in liver induced by ovariectomizing.