biochanin a biochanin a biochanin a is an o-methylated isoflavone. it is a natural organic compound in the class of phytochemicals known as flavonoids. biochanin a can be found in red clover in soy, in alfalfa sprouts, in peanuts, in chickpea (cicer arietinum) and in other legumes. biochanin a names iupac name 5,7-dihydroxy-4′-methoxyisoflavone systematic iupac name 5,7-dihydroxy-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4h-1-benzopyran-4-one other names biochanin4′-methylgenisteinolmelinbiochanine abiochanin-agenistein 4-methyl ether identifiers cas number 491-80-5 y 3d model (jsmol) interactive image chebi chebi:17574 y chembl chembl131921 y chemspider 4444068 y echa infocard 100.007.041 iuphar/bps 2829 kegg c00814 y pubchem cid 5280373 unii u13j6u390t y comptox dashboard (epa) dtxsid1022394 inchi inchi=1s/c16h12o5/c1-20-11-4-2-9(3-5-11)12-8-21-14-7-10(17)6-13(18)15(14)16(12)19/h2-8,17-18h,1h3 ykey: wuadccwrtiwanl-uhfffaoysa-n yinchi=1/c16h12o5/c1-20-11-4-2-9(3-5-11)12-8-21-14-7-10(17)6-13(18)15(14)16(12)19/h2-8,17-18h,1h3key: wuadccwrtiwanl-uhfffaoyam smiles o=c\1c3c(o/c=c/1c2ccc(oc)cc2)cc(o)cc3o properties chemical formula c16h12o5 molar mass 284.267 g·mol−1 except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °c , 100 kpa). y verify (what is yn ?) infobox references biochanin a is classified as a phytoestrogen and has putative benefits in dietary cancer prophylaxis. it has also been found to be a weak inhibitor of fatty acid amide hydrolase in vitro. biochanin a can block the vasoconstriction in a dose-dependent manner due to the inhibition of l-type calcium channels. such vasodilatory effect, in micromolar concentrations, is of potential clinical interest for the management of cardiovascular pathologies. metabolism the enzyme biochanin-a reductase uses dihydrobiochanin a and nadp+ to produce biochanin a, nadph, and h+. the enzyme isoflavone-7-o-beta-glucoside 6"-o-malonyltransferase uses malonyl-coa and biochanin a 7-o-β-d-glucoside to produce coa and biochanin a 7-o-(6-o-malonyl-β-d-glucoside).