Sulforaphane Sparks Interest for Anticancer and Antiinflammatory Benefits

Imagine an addition to the scientific evidence of its anticancer, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and anti-inflammatory properties. It comes as no surprise that one of the phytochemicals in broccoli, which appears as one of the best super foods, has an impressive array of health benefits. Several recent publications are Life Extension magazine featured an article on the importance of eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and broccoli. Cruciferous vegetables contain bioactive substances that favorably affect hormone levels and cell division. However, one of their lesser-known phytochemicals is sulforaphane, which is found in abundance in young broccoli sprouts. These young sprouts contain sugar molecules, sulforaphane glucosinolate, which when chewed, and in combination with the plant's own enzyme, myrosinase, releases sulforaphane in your body.

anti-cancer properties

Researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) Comprehensive Cancer Center believe that sulforaphane could become a novel and highly effective treatment for breast cancer. Current treatments of chemotherapy attacks rapidly dividing cells, but does nothing to stop the cancer stem cells - a small number of specific cells responsible for the fuel the growth of cancerous breast tumors. In laboratory experiments, sulforaphane has been shown to target and kill cancer stem cells and prevent new cancer from growing.

UM team first worked with mice with breast cancer and documented the number of cancer stem cells in their tumors dojke.Miševi then injected with various concentrations sulforafan.Sulforafan (1) significantly reduces the number of cancer stem cells while leaving normal cells unharmed and (2) to prevent breast cancer cells in mice of generating new tumors.

Next, the team tested the effects of sulforaphane on human breast cancer cell cultures in the laboratory. Again, researchers have discovered sulforaphane significantly reduced the number of human breast cancer stem cells. Most cancer researchers believe that control of cancer patients requires the elimination of their cancer stem cells. But for decades, the existing cancer treatment offered in any way directly attack cancer cells stabljike.Matičnih station is the main reason UM test results are generated so much interest in the cancer community. If these laboratory test results can be replicated in humans, sulforaphane supplement can provide a major milestone in the development of a cure for breast cancer.

concentrations of sulforaphane used in the study, 50 mg / kg and 1-5 mol / L, were higher than normal can be achieved by eating broccoli. However, in principle, people could absorb the necessary concentration of sulforaphane with standardized doses of broccoli extract. Currently, the UM research team is planning future clinical trials to test sulforaphane as a prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

In addition to breast cancer, sulforaphane was found to prevent stomach cancer by reducing the colonization of gastric cancer and associated bacteria Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in the body. These findings caught the attention of the National Institutes of Health, which now includes a web site on the Internet domain name that describes the experiments on the use of sulforaphane as a treatment for H. pylori bakterije.Pokusi reported current generally involved mice, although they are encouraging that the sulforaphane in large doses can kill enough extracellular, intracellular, and antibiotic-resistant forms of H. pylori in humans and thus prevent ulcers or stomach cancer.

Sulforaphane is an anticancer benefits are not limited to internal organs. Local application of sulforaphane has been shown in several studies to reduce the incidence of squamous cell carcinoma. Recently, researchers at the University of Arizona Cancer Center discovered a new mechanism of action of sulforaphane in preventing skin cancer is based on the inhibition of transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1 ).

anti-inflammatory properties

Research at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) scientists have found that sulforaphane seems to protect against respiratory inflammation that causes asthma, allergic rhinitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other conditions that make it difficult to breathe. Sulforaphane is a mechanism of action seems to be the place runs on antioxidant enzymes in response to the attack of free radicals in human breath every day in polluted air containing pollen, smoke, and allergens. Interestingly, researchers have found that alfalfa, green food, which is sometimes called the "perfect food" does not contain sulforaphane did not trigger a response and antioxidant enzymes in their experiments.

Two recent studies from 2010 showed that sulforaphane could be used to treat arthritis. In the first two studies, studies at the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea, found that sulforaphane inhibits rheumatoid T-cells and regulates the inflammatory response to artritis.Autori concluded that the combination of antiarthritic and immune regulatory effects of sulforaphane, which confirmed in vivo, indicating that it may offer a potential treatment for rheumatoid artritis.Druga study, which is now underway at the University of East Anglia in the UK, seeks to establish whether sulforaphane blocks the enzymes that cause joint destruction in osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis. the scientist also interested in studying how sulforaphane can halt or prevent the development of arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. where it affects about 30 million people. It is a degenerative joint disease that gradually destroys the cartilage in the joints, particularly hands, feet, spine, hips and knees of elderly people. There is currently no effective treatment other than pain or joint replacement.

Sulforaphane is also known to have anti-inflammatory effect on the arteries. In laboratory experiments on mice, researchers have discovered that sulforaphane can "switch on" protein, Nrf2, which protects against plaque build up. This protein is inactive in protective bandages and branches of the arteries, which are highly susceptible to clogging.

Summary

Sulforaphane is well-documented health benefits in many areas, but this article focuses on recent evidence for its anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory benefits. Sulforaphane in vitro showed arrest breast cancer stem cells. This discovery represents a significant step towards treating breast cancer, because the existing chemotherapy are ineffective against cancer stem cells, which produce new cancer cells and thus fuel the growth of tumors. Besides breast cancer, sulforaphane has been shown to inhibit and protect against gastric cancer, and squamous cell skin cancer.

anti-inflammatory benefits of sulforaphane could lead to possible treatment, and prevention, and more debilitating osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Finally, sulforaphane has been shown in laboratory studies in mice to switch to a protective protein that helps prevent the build up of atherosclerotic plaques in artery walls. Sulforaphane helps to prevent arteries from becoming inflamed and clogged with plaque. For all these reasons, patients with these medical conditions as well as members of the public interested in disease prevention are waiting with great interest to find out if these experimental results will be confirmed in human clinical trials.