女性绝经后由于雌激素水平降低，极易发生骨质疏松，而临床上常用的抗骨质疏松药不良反应明显，因此将新药研发的重点转向天然来源的植物雌激素。植物雌激素化学结构与17β-雌二醇相似，主要包括异黄酮类、木脂素类、香豆素类化合物，具有多种生理活性；其在体内可与雌激素受体结合并产生双向调节作用，即在不同情况下表现出雌激素样或抗雌激素作用。植物雌激素可通过多种作用机制防治绝经后骨质疏松，实验研究和临床研究均表明当归、杜仲等中药含有的植物雌激素类物质，诸如染料木黄酮、大豆异黄酮及补骨脂对绝经后骨质疏松疗效确切，具有开发利用前景。

Women after menopause due to sex hormones decrease are prone to osteoporosis. However, clinical anti-osteoporosis drugs are imperfect and with some adverse effects. Accordingly, the focus on new drug study was shifted to estrogenic alternative medicine- natural phytoestrogens which includes isoflavones, lignans and coumarins and were found to have a variety of physiological activities with similar chemical structure to 17β-estradiol. Phytoestrogens combined with estrogen receptor have a bidirection regulation in vivo, that is, to show estrogenic or anti-estrogen effect in different conditions and play an important role in prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis by multiple mechanisms. Experimental and clinical studies have proved that phytoestrogenic substances， such as genistein, soy isoflavones, and psoralea from angelica, eucommia, and other phytomedicine, have the exact effects on postmenopausal osteoporosis with the considerable development prospect.

天津市中医药管理局课题（11025）