Compound Monograph
Matairesinol
Matairesinol is a dibenzylbutyrolactone (plant) lignan of flaxseed, sesame, whole grains and burdock seed. Its defining role is as a precursor — gut bacteria convert it to the mammalian lignan enterolactone — so most of its "phytoestrogen" and hormone-cancer literature actually measures enterolactone, not matairesinol itself. Human evidence is observational and mixed; there are no trials of the isolate.
Sources · 8
Where Does It Come From?
Matairesinol is a naturally occurring dibenzylbutyrolactone lignan (plant lignan), found in Burdock Seed and 7 other sources. It is well tolerated orally (low toxicity).
Concentration
Content by Source
Concentrations not reported. No percent-dry-weight or mg/g figures have been published for this compound in its source plants.
Matairesinol at a Glance
Matairesinol is a plant lignan of flaxseed, sesame, whole grains and burdock seed.
Its defining role is as a precursor. Gut bacteria convert it into the mammalian lignan enterolactone, and most of what is attributed to dietary lignans in epidemiology is measured as enterolactone rather than as the plant compounds themselves.
So matairesinol’s significance is largely what your microbiome makes of it.
What It's Used For
Matairesinol is a dibenzylbutyrolactone plant lignan of flaxseed, sesame, whole grains and burdock seed — a sibling of arctigenin and arctiin (the same burdock lignan complex) and structurally kin to sesamin 2Reference 2Metabolic profile of the bioactive compounds of burdock (Arctium lappa) seeds, roots and leavesView study →.
Its defining property is that it is a precursor: gut microbiota convert it (via enterodiol) to the mammalian lignan enterolactone. That matters throughout — the “phytoestrogen” and hormone-cancer literature is measured on circulating enterolactone from mixed dietary lignan intake, not on the matairesinol isolate, and there are no human trials of matairesinol itself.
Support is an experimental score — weighted by study type (human > animal > in vitro) and volume. A beta, not a validated metric. No isolate trials, so scores stay low by design.
This is the defining role. Intestinal bacteria transform matairesinol directly to enterolactone (via enterodiol) 1Reference 1In-vitro metabolism of plant lignans: new precursors of the mammalian lignans enterolactone and enterodiolView study →; the hormone-related signal in the literature is on circulating enterolactone, whose breast-cancer epidemiology is genuinely mixed — a large prospective study found no protective association 4Reference 4Circulating enterolactone and risk of breast cancer: a prospective study in New YorkView study →, while a prognosis meta-analysis tied higher lignan intake/enterolactone to lower all-cause mortality in postmenopausal but higher mortality in premenopausal patients 5Reference 5Meta-analysisLignan intake and enterolactone concentration and prognosis of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysisView study →.
Matairesinol/enterolactone bind estrogen receptors weakly (SERM-like) 3Reference 3The potential health effects of dietary phytoestrogensView study →.
Gap: essentially all hormone/cancer data are on the metabolite enterolactone from mixed dietary lignans, not the isolate; conversion yield varies widely with gut flora and antibiotics; and the epidemiology is associational and inconsistent by menopausal status 4,
Matairesinol is a polyphenolic lignan with expected in-vitro radical scavenging 3Reference 3The potential health effects of dietary phytoestrogensView study →, and it drives ROS-linked mitochondrial effects in tumor cells 6Reference 6Matairesinol induces mitochondrial dysfunction and exerts synergistic anticancer effects with 5-fluorouracil in pancreatic cancer cellsView study →; the enterolactone metabolite is reported as a stronger antioxidant than the parent.
Gap: in-vitro/cell-level only, with no human antioxidant-outcome data for the isolate 3,
Direct isolate work exists: matairesinol induces mitochondrial depolarization, ROS accumulation and apoptosis and synergizes with 5-fluorouracil in pancreatic cancer cell lines 6Reference 6Matairesinol induces mitochondrial dysfunction and exerts synergistic anticancer effects with 5-fluorouracil in pancreatic cancer cellsView study →.
Gap: all in-vitro/animal, at supraphysiologic concentrations, with no clinical anticancer evidence for matairesinol 6Reference 6Matairesinol induces mitochondrial dysfunction and exerts synergistic anticancer effects with 5-fluorouracil in pancreatic cancer cellsView study →.
Mechanisms
| Target / pathway | Effect | Relevant to |
|---|---|---|
| Gut microbiota (dehydroxylation/demethylation) | matairesinol → enterodiol → enterolactone | precursor role — the systemically active species is the enterolignan |
| Estrogen receptors ERα / ERβ | weak, SERM-like binding | phytoestrogen / hormone epidemiology |
| ROS / mitochondrial membrane potential | ROS accumulation, depolarization → apoptosis (cancer cells) | preclinical anticancer; antioxidant/pro-oxidant duality |
| Radical scavenging (phenolic H-donation) | antioxidant in vitro | antioxidant |
Pharmacokinetics
Matairesinol is not active as an intact isolate systemically. Ingested matairesinol is largely converted by colonic bacteria to enterolactone (via enterodiol); the enterolignans are absorbed, undergo enterohepatic recirculation and glucuronidation, and appear in serum/urine 1Reference 1In-vitro metabolism of plant lignans: new precursors of the mammalian lignans enterolactone and enterodiolView study →. Intact bioavailability is low, and the measurable systemic exposure and biomarker of dietary-lignan intake is serum/urinary enterolactone, not matairesinol. This conversion is highly variable between individuals — it depends on gut-microbiota composition, and broad-spectrum antibiotics sharply reduce enterolactone production, which is central to interpreting any “matairesinol effect.”
Clinical trials
There are no human interventional trials of the matairesinol isolate. Human evidence is observational and measured on enterolactone (a downstream metabolite of matairesinol and secoisolariciresinol and other dietary lignans): a prospective serum-enterolactone breast-cancer study (no protective association) 4Reference 4Circulating enterolactone and risk of breast cancer: a prospective study in New YorkView study → and a lignan-intake/enterolactone breast-cancer prognosis meta-analysis (direction differs by menopausal status) 5Reference 5Meta-analysisLignan intake and enterolactone concentration and prognosis of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysisView study →. Neither isolates matairesinol’s contribution.
| Completed | Planned | Terminated | Preclinical |
|---|---|---|---|
| —(none, isolate); enterolactone epidemiology only | — | — | Modest |
Last checked: July 2026.
Toxicity & Safety
Matairesinol is an ordinary dietary lignan with no toxicity signal at food levels; the whole caution is about concentrated supplements, where weak estrogen-receptor activity makes hormone-sensitive conditions the thing to think about.
- No toxicity signal at dietary levels. Long history of ordinary exposure through flaxseed, sesame, whole grains and burdock seed.
- Avoid the isolated phytoestrogen in pregnancy and lactation. Dietary amounts are a separate question.
- Hormone-sensitive conditions. Weak estrogen-receptor activity warrants caution with supplemental use in ER-positive breast cancer or endometrial issues.
- No isolate safety data. No established toxicity for concentrated or supplemental matairesinol in humans.
- Antibiotics blunt the conversion. They markedly reduce enterolactone formation, which affects any expected benefit — an interaction rather than a toxicity.
Full Safety & Interactions Detail
Matairesinol is a dietary lignan, consumed in flaxseed, sesame, whole grains and burdock seed with a long history of ordinary dietary exposure and no signal of toxicity at food levels — hence low. There is no established toxicity for concentrated/supplemental matairesinol (no human isolate data). The phytoestrogen caution is theoretical: weak ER activity means hormone-sensitive conditions (estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer, endometrial issues) warrant caution with supplemental/isolated phytoestrogen use, and the premenopausal prognosis signal 5Reference 5Meta-analysisLignan intake and enterolactone concentration and prognosis of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysisView study → is a reason not to over-encourage high-dose supplementation — but this is precautionary, not evidence of harm at dietary intakes. Note a microbiome interaction rather than a toxicity: antibiotics markedly reduce enterolactone formation, which affects any expected benefit.
Dosage
There is no established therapeutic dose and no validated human dose for matairesinol, as no isolate trials exist. Relevant exposure is dietary lignan intake (flaxseed is by far the richest common source; sesame, whole grains and burdock seed also contribute), which the body converts to enterolactone at a rate set by the individual’s gut flora. Any supplement figures would be research references, not recommendations.
References
- Heinonen S, et al. (2001). In-vitro metabolism of plant lignans: new precursors of the mammalian lignans enterolactone and enterodiol. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11453749/
- Ferracane R, et al. (2010). Metabolic profile of the bioactive compounds of burdock (Arctium lappa) seeds, roots and leaves. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19375261/
- Rietjens IMCM, et al. (2017). The potential health effects of dietary phytoestrogens. British Journal of Pharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27723080/
- Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, et al. (2004). Circulating enterolactone and risk of breast cancer: a prospective study in New York. British Journal of Cancer. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15226762/
- Liu Z, et al. (2021). Lignan intake and enterolactone concentration and prognosis of breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Cancer. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33854638/
- Lee W, et al. (2022). Matairesinol induces mitochondrial dysfunction and exerts synergistic anticancer effects with 5-fluorouracil in pancreatic cancer cells. Marine Drugs. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35892941/
