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DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1250169
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York
Natural Compounds with Aromatase Inhibitory Activity: An Update
Publication History
received February 3, 2010
revised May 28, 2010
accepted July 2, 2010
Publication Date:
15 July 2010 (online)


Abstract
Several synthetic aromatase inhibitors are currently in clinical use for the treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. However, these treatments may lead to untoward side effects and so the search for new aromatase inhibitors continues, especially those for which the activity is promoter-specific, targeting the breast-specific promoters I.3 and II. Recently, numerous natural compounds have been found to inhibit aromatase in noncellular, cellular, and in vivo studies. These investigations, covering the last two years, as well as additional studies that have focused on the evaluation of natural compounds as promoter-specific aromatase inhibitors or as aromatase inducers, are described in this review.
Key words
breast cancer - aromatase - natural compounds - plants - marine organisms - fungi