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Sulforaphane
 
 
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Sulforaphane is an anticancer
Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cell display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis . These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or metastasize....
, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial
Antimicrobial

An antimicrobial is a substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, protozoals or viruses. Antimicrobial drugs either kill microbes or prevent the growth of microbes ....
 compound that can be obtained by eating cruciferous vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables

Edible plants in the family Brassicaceae are termed Cruciferous vegetables. For a botanical description of plants in this family , see Brassicaceae....
 such as brussel sprouts, broccoli
Broccoli

Broccoli is a plant of the cabbage family Brassicaceae .It is classified as the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea. Broccoli possesses abundant arboreal, luscious, fleshy, flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible, sturdy, meaty stalk....
, cabbage
Cabbage

The cabbage is a leafy garden plant of the Family Brassicaceae , used as a Leaf vegetable. It is a herbaceous, biennial plant, dicotyledonous flowering plant distinguished by a short stem upon which is crowded a mass of leaves, usually green but in some varieties red or purplish, forming a characteristic compact, globular cluster ....
, cauliflower
Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed....
, bok choy, kale
Kale

Kale or Borecole is a form of cabbage , green in color, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms....
, collards, broccoli sprouts
Broccoli sprouts

Broccoli sprouts are 3 to 4 day old broccoli plants that look like alfalfa sprouts but taste like radish. The radish flavor comes from a phytochemical that acts as protection against vectors while the broccoli plant is still young....
, chinese broccoli, broccoli raab, kohlrabi
Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is a low, stout cultivar of the cabbage that will grow almost anywhere. It has been selected for its swollen, nearly spherical, Sputnik program-like shape....
, mustard
Mustard plant

Mustards are several plant species in the genera Brassica and Sinapis whose small mustard seeds are used as a spice and, by grinding and mixing them with water, vinegar or other liquids, are turned into the condiment known as Mustard ....
, turnip
Turnip

The turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender, varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as fodder for livestock....
, radish
Radish

The radish is an Eating root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe in pre-Roman Empire times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world....
, rocket, and watercress
Watercress

Watercresses are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings....
. The enzyme
Enzyme

Enzymes are biomolecules that catalysis chemical reactions. Almost all enzymes are proteins. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called Substrate , and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, the products....
 myrosinase
Myrosinase

Myrosinase is a family of enzymes involved in Plant defense against herbivory. Their structure has been elucidated and is available....
 transforms glucoraphanin (a glucosinolate
Glucosinolate

The glucosinolates are a class of organic compounds that contain sulfur and nitrogen and are derived from glucose and an amino acid. They occur as secondary metabolites of almost all plants of the order Brassicales , but also in the genus Drypetes ....
) into sulforaphane upon damage to the plant (such as from chewing). The young sprouts
Sprouts

Sprouts may refer to:* Sprouting, the practice of germinating seeds, often for food purposes* Sprouts * Brussels sprouts* Sprouts * Sprouts ...
 of broccoli and cauliflower are particularly rich in glucoraphanin.

anticancer activity of sulforaphane is thought to be related to the induction of phase-II enzymes of xenobiotic
Xenobiotic

A xenobiotic is a chemical which is found in an organism but which is not normally produced or expected to be present in it. It can also cover substances which are present in much higher concentrations than are usual....
 transformation (such as quinone reductase and glutathione S-transferase
Glutathione S-transferase

The glutathione S-transferase family of enzymes comprises a long list of cytosolic, mitochondrial, and microsomal proteins that are capable of multiple reactions with a multitude of substrate s, both endogenous and xenobiotic....
), and enhancing the transcription of tumor suppressor proteins, possibly via inhibitory effects on histone deacetylase.

archers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore MD first identified sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts which, of the cruciferous vegetables, have the highest concentration of sulforaphane.






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Encyclopedia


Sulforaphane is an anticancer
Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cell display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis . These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or metastasize....
, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial
Antimicrobial

An antimicrobial is a substance that kills or inhibits the growth of microbes such as bacteria, fungi, protozoals or viruses. Antimicrobial drugs either kill microbes or prevent the growth of microbes ....
 compound that can be obtained by eating cruciferous vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables

Edible plants in the family Brassicaceae are termed Cruciferous vegetables. For a botanical description of plants in this family , see Brassicaceae....
 such as brussel sprouts, broccoli
Broccoli

Broccoli is a plant of the cabbage family Brassicaceae .It is classified as the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea. Broccoli possesses abundant arboreal, luscious, fleshy, flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible, sturdy, meaty stalk....
, cabbage
Cabbage

The cabbage is a leafy garden plant of the Family Brassicaceae , used as a Leaf vegetable. It is a herbaceous, biennial plant, dicotyledonous flowering plant distinguished by a short stem upon which is crowded a mass of leaves, usually green but in some varieties red or purplish, forming a characteristic compact, globular cluster ....
, cauliflower
Cauliflower

Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed....
, bok choy, kale
Kale

Kale or Borecole is a form of cabbage , green in color, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms....
, collards, broccoli sprouts
Broccoli sprouts

Broccoli sprouts are 3 to 4 day old broccoli plants that look like alfalfa sprouts but taste like radish. The radish flavor comes from a phytochemical that acts as protection against vectors while the broccoli plant is still young....
, chinese broccoli, broccoli raab, kohlrabi
Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi is a low, stout cultivar of the cabbage that will grow almost anywhere. It has been selected for its swollen, nearly spherical, Sputnik program-like shape....
, mustard
Mustard plant

Mustards are several plant species in the genera Brassica and Sinapis whose small mustard seeds are used as a spice and, by grinding and mixing them with water, vinegar or other liquids, are turned into the condiment known as Mustard ....
, turnip
Turnip

The turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender, varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as fodder for livestock....
, radish
Radish

The radish is an Eating root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe in pre-Roman Empire times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world....
, rocket, and watercress
Watercress

Watercresses are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings....
. The enzyme
Enzyme

Enzymes are biomolecules that catalysis chemical reactions. Almost all enzymes are proteins. In enzymatic reactions, the molecules at the beginning of the process are called Substrate , and the enzyme converts them into different molecules, the products....
 myrosinase
Myrosinase

Myrosinase is a family of enzymes involved in Plant defense against herbivory. Their structure has been elucidated and is available....
 transforms glucoraphanin (a glucosinolate
Glucosinolate

The glucosinolates are a class of organic compounds that contain sulfur and nitrogen and are derived from glucose and an amino acid. They occur as secondary metabolites of almost all plants of the order Brassicales , but also in the genus Drypetes ....
) into sulforaphane upon damage to the plant (such as from chewing). The young sprouts
Sprouts

Sprouts may refer to:* Sprouting, the practice of germinating seeds, often for food purposes* Sprouts * Brussels sprouts* Sprouts * Sprouts ...
 of broccoli and cauliflower are particularly rich in glucoraphanin.

Health benefits

The anticancer activity of sulforaphane is thought to be related to the induction of phase-II enzymes of xenobiotic
Xenobiotic

A xenobiotic is a chemical which is found in an organism but which is not normally produced or expected to be present in it. It can also cover substances which are present in much higher concentrations than are usual....
 transformation (such as quinone reductase and glutathione S-transferase
Glutathione S-transferase

The glutathione S-transferase family of enzymes comprises a long list of cytosolic, mitochondrial, and microsomal proteins that are capable of multiple reactions with a multitude of substrate s, both endogenous and xenobiotic....
), and enhancing the transcription of tumor suppressor proteins, possibly via inhibitory effects on histone deacetylase.

Research

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore MD first identified sulforaphane in broccoli sprouts which, of the cruciferous vegetables, have the highest concentration of sulforaphane. Consumption of broccoli sprouts has shown to be effective at inhibiting Helicobacter pylori
Helicobacter pylori

Helicobacter pylori is a Gram-negative, microaerophile bacterium that inhabits various areas of the stomach and duodenum. It causes a chronic low-level inflammation of the stomach lining and is strongly linked to the development of duodenal and gastric peptic ulcers and stomach cancer bacteria....
 growth with sulforaphane being at least one of the active agents.

Sulforaphane and diindolylmethane (another compound from Brassica vegetables) have recently been shown to synergize together in the inhibition of cancer growth.

Optimal dosage has not yet been determined, but some doctors recommend 200 - 400 mcg
Microgram

In the metric system, a microgram is 1/1,000,000 of a gram , or 1/1000 of a milligram, is one of the smallest units of weight/mass commonly used....
 of sulforaphane daily from broccoli-sprout extracts. Sulforaphane and dietary consumption of cruciferous vegetables are known to affect the action of drug-metabolizing enzymes. Although no side effects or direct drug interactions have been reported as of 2008, people taking prescription drugs are advised to consult a doctor before taking sulforaphane or broccoli-sprout extracts.

Sulforaphane seems to protect skin against UV radiation damage, and thus potentially against cancer
Skin cancer

Skin cancer is a malignant growth on the skin which can have many causes. The most common skin cancers are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, and melanoma....
, when applied topically. There is evidence for sulforaphane inhibiting histone deacetylase
Histone deacetylase

Histone deacetylases are a class of enzymes that remove acetyl groups from an e-N-acetyl lysine amino acid on a histone. Its action is opposite to that of histone acetyltransferase....
 (HDAC) activity.

Glucoraphanin

glucoraphanin		 ?
Sulforaphane

(-)-(R)-sulforaphane


See also

  • Herbalism
    Herbalism

    Herbalism is a traditional medicinal or folk medicine practice based on the use of plants and plant extracts. Herbalism is also known as botanical medicine, medical herbalism, herbal medicine, herbology, and phytotherapy....
  • Naturopathic medicine
    Naturopathic medicine

    Naturopathy is an alternative medicine which emphasizes the body's intrinsic ability to heal and maintain itself. Naturopaths use natural remedies such as herbs and foods rather than surgery or synthetic medication....
  • Nutrition
    Nutrition

    Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with good nutrition....
  • Phytonutrients