The Role of Isothiocyanates as Cancer Chemo-Preventive, Chemo-Therapeutic and Anti-Melanoma Agents

Abstract

Many studies have shown evidence in support of the beneficial effects of phytochemicals in preventing chronic diseases, including cancer. Among such phytochemicals, sulphur-containing compounds (e.g., isothiocyanates (ITCs)) have raised scientific interest by exerting unique chemo-preventive properties against cancer pathogenesis. ITCs are the major biologically active compounds capable of mediating the anticancer effect of cruciferous vegetables. Recently, many studies have shown that a higher intake of cruciferous vegetables is associated with reduced risk of developing various forms of cancers primarily due to a plurality of effects, including (i) metabolic activation and detoxification, (ii) inflammation, (iii) angiogenesis, (iv) metastasis and (v) regulation of the epigenetic machinery. In the context of human malignant melanoma, a number of studies suggest that ITCs can cause cell cycle growth arrest and also induce apoptosis in human malignant melanoma cells. On such basis, ITCs could serve as promising chemo-therapeutic agents that could be used in the clinical setting to potentiate the efficacy of existing therapies.

Phenylethyl Isothiocyanate Extracted from Watercress By-Products with Aqueous Micellar Systems: Development and Optimisation

“…Isothiocyanates are one of the hydrolysis products of glucosinolates (a class of sulphured secondary metabolites from the botanical order Brassicales) by the enzyme myrosinase [2,3]. In the intact plant, myrosinase is stored separately from glucosinolates; when the plant tissue is damaged (by chopping or chewing), the enzyme contacts with glucosinolates and catalyses the lysis [3,4]: the reaction produces indoles, nitriles, thiocyanates, or isothiocyanates. Glucosinolates are water-soluble and stable compounds, but isothiocyanates are hydrophobic and very reactive compounds.…”

Enhancing Greenhouse Tomato-Crop Productivity by Using Brassica macrocarpa Guss. Leaves for Controlling Root-Knot Nematodes

“…All three islands of the Egadi archipelago have been monitored for collecting information about the sites and the structure of its populations, such as number of individuals, age, and amount of seeds produced per plant [27]. This perennial wild species has also been used in a breeding program with the aim of increasing aliphatic GLSs in broccoli breeding lines [29], especially glucoraphanin, to provide high amounts of the isothiocyanate sulforaphane, which is the most interesting ITC involved in cancer protection in mammals [26,30,31]. The present work aimed to evaluate the biofumigation effects of BM flour for soil biofumigation by increasing the dose of sinigrin inserted into the soil for controlling root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.)…”

Molecular Mechanisms of the Anti-Cancer Effects of Isothiocyanates from Cruciferous Vegetables in Bladder Cancer

“…ITCs are also reported to exhibit anti-carcinogenic activities in various cancer types, including BC [27,33,35,36]. ITCs include the compounds AITC, BITC, SFN, and PEITC ( Figure 1), each of which has multiple activities, including anti-cancer effects [37]. In the following sections, we will present the changes in malignant aggressiveness and molecular expression/activity in BC by each ITC member.…”