phytoestrogens and Staphylococcal-Skin-Infections

Flavonoids are converted to inactive metabolites like glucuronides in the gut, and circulate mainly as glucuronides in blood stream, resulting in low concentrations of active aglycones in plasma. It is therefore unclear how oral flavonoids exert their effects in tissues. We recently reported the plasma pharmacokinetics of some flavonoids and suggested the possibility that the absorbed flavonoids modified macrophage functions leading to enhance bacterial clearance. We aimed to confirm their pharmacological profiles focusing on tissue macrophages.. Pseudoinfection was induced by intradermal injection of FITC-conjugated and killed Staphylococcus aureus into the ears of mice treated with or without genistein 7-O-glucuronide (GEN7G, 1 mg/kg, i.v.). FACS analysis was performed on single cell suspensions dispersed enzymatically from the skin lesions at 6 h post pseudoinfection to evaluate phagocytic activities of monocytes/macrophages (CD11b. After GEN7G injection, genistein was identified in the inflamed ears as well as GEN7G, and the phagocytic activity of CD11b. This study suggests a molecular mechanism by which oral flavonoids are carried as glucuronides and activated to aglycones by β-glucuronidase in tissue macrophages, and contributes to the pharmacological study of glucuronides.

Topics: Animals; Flavonoids; Glucuronidase; Glucuronides; Macrophages; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Phytoestrogens; Staphylococcal Skin Infections; Staphylococcus aureus