Sulforaphane [1-isothiocyanato-4-(methylsulfinyl)butane] is an isothiocyanate in cruciferous vegetables with a number of potential chemopreventive actions. The current study examined the effects of sulforaphane on the proliferation of human MCF-7 breast cancer cells and on the expression of estrogen receptor α (ERα) protein and mRNA in the cells. Sulforaphane was found to inhibit cell proliferation and ERα protein expression. Lowered ERα expression was also found to be accompanied by decreased progesterone receptor expression. MCF-7 cell mRNA expression was inhibited by sulforaphane at relatively high doses, but not at low sulforaphane concentrations. The authors conclude that sulforaphane can inhibit proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells and down-regulation of hormone receptor expression.

The current study evaluated the influence of home cooking methods (boiling, microwaving, pressure-cooking, griddling, frying, and baking) on the antioxidant activity of 20 vegetables. The tests were performed using different antioxidant activity assays (lipoperoxyl and hydroxyl radicals scavenging and TEAC). Artichoke was the only vegetable that was found to retain its very high antioxidant capacity under all the cooking methods. The highest losses of antioxidant capacity were observed in cauliflower (after boiling and microwaving), peas (boiling), and zucchini (boiling and frying). Beets, green beans, and garlic retained their antioxidant activity after most cooking treatments. Swiss chard and pepper lost hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity in all the processes. The antioxidant capacity of celery actually increased under all the cooking methods, apart from boiling, where it lost 14%. Measurement of the ABTS radical scavenging capacity of the different vegetables showed that the greatest losses occurred in garlic with all the cooking methods, except microwaving. Green bean, celery, and carrot increased their TEAC values after all cooking methods (except green bean after boiling). These three vegetables had a low ABTS radical scavenging capacity. The authors conclude that, depending on the method used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of vegetables, griddling, microwave cooking, and baking produce the lowest losses, while pressure-cooking and boiling lead to the greatest losses. Frying occupies an intermediate position.

Indole-3-carbinol, a phytochemical derived from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and brussels sprouts, is a powerful antiproliferative in human breast cancer cells and can decrease metastatic spread of tumors in experimental animals. The current study demonstrated that indole-3-carbinol significantly decreased the in vitro migration of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, a highly invasive cell line. The data demonstrated that indole-3-carbinol induces stress fibers and peripheral focal adhesions and that this leads to a reduction in motility of human breast cancer cells.

The present study was designed to determine the effect of 3,3’-Diindolylmethane (DIM) on human plasma cytokine levels. Indole-3-carbinol is a component of cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli. DIM, a spontaneously-formed dimer of indole-3-carbinol, is the major circulating product following indole-3-carbinol supplementation in humans. Both compounds have been shown to have chemopreventive effects in animals and to promote apoptosis in human cancer cell lines. Groups of healthy subjects were randomized to three DIM and one placebo, and gave baseline blood sample. The subjects took single doses of DIM (50, 100, 150, 200, or 300 mg) after which blood was collected 12 and 24 hours later. The 300 mg dose was repeated in another group of study participants. Measurement of cytokines and other inflammatory mediators was then performed. VEGF, IL-10, IL-13, FGFβ, and GM-CSF levels were found to be largely undetectable regardless of time point or dose. DIM administration also had little impact upon TNF, IL-1β, IL-2, MCP-1, MIP-1β, IL-17, IL-12 (p70), IL-7, IL-5, IL-4, IFN, G-CSF, and eotaxin levels. Increased IL-6 levels (2 - 12 pg/ml) were detected 12 hours after DIM was ingested in nearly half of the subjects who received at least moderate doses (100 - 300 mg), however, the IL-6 increase did not correlate directly with DIM dose or resulting DIM plasma levels. The increased IL-6 levels detected in these subjects also correlated with elevated plasma IL-8 levels. The authors conclude that most cytokines or chemokines are not affected by short-term DIM treatment but that further studies are needed to fully elucidate the overall effects of DIM on human cytokine production.

The present study was designed to determine how cooking influences bile acid binding of various vegetables under human physiologic conditions. The cholesterol-lowering potential of some foods and food components have been shown to be related to their bile acid-binding ability. Also, secondary bile acids have been found to increase the risk of cancer. Therefore, bile acid–binding potential is related both to lowering the risk of heart disease and to cancer prevention. Simulating gastric and intestinal digestion, 8 replicate incubations were conducted for each treatment, which included a substrate only, a bile acid mixture only, and 6 substrate plus bile acid mixture. Cholestyramine, a bile acid-binding drug with cholesterol-lowering action, was the positive control treatment, and cellulose was used as the negative control. Relative to cholestyramine, in vitro bile acid binding on a dry matter basis was found to be 18% for beets, 16% for okra, 14% for eggplant, 10% for asparagus, 8% for carrots, 7% for green beans, 6% for cauliflower, and 1% for turnips. The results show significantly different (P ≤ .05) bile acid binding on a dry matter basis of these vegetables. Steam cooking was found to significantly improve in vitro bile acid binding of beets, eggplant, asparagus, carrots, green beans, and cauliflower compared with the experimental bile acid-binding values for these vegetables when uncooked.

Oral administration of either the isothiocyanate, sulforaphane, or its glucosinolate precursor, glucoraphanin, has been found to inhibit mammary carcinogenesis in rats treated with 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene. The present study was designed to determine whether sulforaphane exerts a direct chemopreventive action on animal and human breast tissue. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a single oral dose of sulforaphane were studied in the rat mammary gland. Sulforaphane metabolites were detected at concentrations sufficient to alter gene expression in cell culture. In a small pilot study, eight healthy women undergoing breast reduction were given a single oral dose of a broccoli sprout preparation containing 200 µmol of sulforaphane. Following the dosing, sulforaphane metabolites were readily measurable in human breast tissue.