Inhibition Of Urinary Bladder Carcinogenesis By Broccoli Sprouts

Main Category: Urology / Nephrology
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;  Nutrition / Diet
Article Date: 26 Apr 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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UroToday.com - The authors detail the results of a broccoli extract in preventing the formation of bladder cancer in a rat model. The authors administered a freeze-dried aqueous extract of broccoli sprouts daily to rats who had N-butyl-N-(4-hydroxybutyl) nitrosamine induced bladder cancer. The broccoli extract significantly, and dose-dependently decreased the incidence, multiplicity, size, and progression of the chemically induced bladder cancer while the extract itself caused no histologic changes in the bladder.

The active ingredient in broccoli is isothiocyanate, a well-known class of cancer chemopreventive agents. We found that >70% of the isothiocyanates present in the extract were excreted in the urine as isothiocyanate equivalents (isothiocyanates + dithiocarbamates) in 12 h after a single p.o. dose, indicating high bioavailability and rapid urinary excretion. In addition, the concentrations of isothiocyanate equivalents in the urine of extract-treated rats were 2 to 3 orders of magnitude higher than those in plasma, indicating that the bladder epithelium, the major site of bladder cancer development, is most exposed to oral isothiocyanate. In addition, inhibition of bladder carcinogenesis by the extract was associated with significant induction of glutathione S-transferase and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 in the bladder, enzymes that are important protectants against oxidants and carcinogens.

The authors conclude that broccoli sprout extract, and specifically the isothiocyanates in the extract is a highly promising substance for bladder cancer prevention. Further testing in humans is necessary to determine if the extract is effective in non-chemically induced bladder cancer.

Reported by UroToday.com Contributing Editor David P. Wood, MD Professor and Chief of Urological Oncology Department of Urology University of Michigan Medical School Ann Arbor, MI

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