Phytoprogestogens, also known as phytoprogestins, are

phytochemical Phytochemicals are chemical compounds produced by plants, generally to help them resist fungi, bacteria and plant virus infections, and also consumption by insects and other animals. The name comes . Some phytochemicals have been used as poison ...

s (that is, naturally occurring, plant-derived chemicals) with

progestogen Progestogens, also sometimes written progestagens or gestagens, are a class of natural or synthetic steroid hormones that bind to and activate the progesterone receptors (PR). Progesterone is the major and most important progestogen in the bod ...

ic effects. Relative to their

phytoestrogen A phytoestrogen is a plant-derived xenoestrogen (see estrogen) not generated within the endocrine system, but consumed by eating plants or manufactured foods. Also called a "dietary estrogen", it is a diverse group of naturally occurring nonster ...

counterparts, phytoprogestogens are rare. However, a number have been identified, including

kaempferol Kaempferol (3,4′,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a natural flavonol, a type of flavonoid, found in a variety of plants and plant-derived foods including kale, beans, tea, spinach, and broccoli. Kaempferol is a yellow crystalline solid with a mel ...

diosgenin Diosgenin, a phytosteroid sapogenin, is the product of hydrolysis by acids, strong bases, or enzymes of saponins, extracted from the tubers of ''Dioscorea'' wild yam species, such as the Kokoro. The sugar-free (aglycone) product of such hydro ...

(found in

yam Yam or YAM may refer to: Plants and foods *Yam (vegetable), common name for members of ''Dioscorea'' * Taro, known in Malaysia and Singapore as yam * Sweet potato, specifically its orange-fleshed cultivars, often referred to as yams in North Amer ...

apigenin Apigenin (4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavone), found in many plants, is a natural product belonging to the flavone class that is the aglycone of several naturally occurring glycosides. It is a yellow crystalline solid that has been used to dye wool. ...

(found in chasteberry),

naringenin Naringenin is a flavorless, colorless flavanone, a type of flavonoid. It is the predominant flavanone in grapefruit, and is found in a variety of fruits and herbs. Structure Naringenin has the skeleton structure of a flavanone with three hydro ...

, and

syringic acid Syringic acid is a naturally occurring phenolic compound and dimethoxybenzene that is commonly found as a plant metabolite. Natural occurrence Syringic acid can be found in several plants including '' Ardisia elliptica'' and ''Schumannianthus ...

, among others. In addition, 3,8-dihydrodiligustilide from ''

Ligusticum chuanxiong ''Ligusticum striatum'' (syn. ''L. wallichii'') is a flowering plant native to India, Kashmir, and Nepal in the carrot family best known for its use in traditional Chinese medicine where it is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It is kn ...

'' is a

potent Potent may refer to: * for the heraldic fur *Warren Potent for the Australian Olympic medalist in shooting See also: *Potency (disambiguation) Potency may refer to: * Potency (pharmacology), a measure of the activity of a drug in a biologica ...

progestogen ( EC₅₀ = 90 nM), whereas

riligustilide Riligustilide is a nonsteroidal phytoprogestogen that is found in ''Ligusticum chuanxiong''. It is a very weak agonist of the progesterone receptor (EC50 ≈ 81 μM). Another compound in the plant, 3,8-dihydrodiligustilide, is also a phytop ...

is a weak progestogen (EC₅₀ ≈ 81 μM).

References

Progestogens {{pharmacology-stub