Abstract
The broad spectrum of the mechanism of action of immune-boosting natural compounds as well as the complex nature of the food matrices make researching the health benefits of various food products a complicated task. Moreover, many routes are involved in the action of most natural compounds that lead to the inhibition of chronic inflammation, which results in a decrease in the ability to remove a pathogen asymptomatically and is connected to various pathological events, such as cancer. A number of cancers have been associated with inflammatory processes. The current review strives to answer the question of whether plant-derived sulfur compounds could be beneficial in cancer prevention and therapy. This review focuses on the two main sources of natural sulfur compounds: alliaceous and cruciferous vegetables. Through the presentation of scientific data which deal with the study of the chosen compounds in cancer (cell lines, animal models, and human studies), the discussion of food processing’s influence on immune-boosting food content is presented. Additionally, it is demonstrated that there is still a need to precisely demonstrate the bioavailability of sulfur-containing compounds from various types of functional food, since the inappropriate preparation of vegetables can significantly reduce the content of beneficial sulfur compounds. Additionally, there is an urgent need to carry out more epidemiological studies to reveal the benefits of several natural compounds in cancer prevention and therapy.
Highlights
Attempts to modulate the immune system started in the mid-1970s [1] with the introduction of bacterial toxins
The present review aims to characterize the general characteristics, physicochemical properties, and health-related studies of onion, garlic, and cruciferous vegetable consumption, as well as the influence of food processing on their content of active substances
The high level of bacterial myrosinase activity allows a significant increase in the efficiency of the GSL metabolism, which translates into a high level of their metabolites in the feces
Summary
Attempts to modulate the immune system started in the mid-1970s [1] with the introduction of bacterial toxins. Onion (Allium cepa) and garlic (Allium sativa) are some of the oldest cultivated plants in the world and are rich in flavonols and natural organosulfur compounds (OSCs) Their consumption was studied, as it was considered beneficial for heart diseases, tumors (such as esophageal, gastric, colorectal, breast, lung, skin and prostate cancers), and immunological processes, among others, especially due to the biological action of the sulfur-containing metabolic byproducts [14,15,16]. The present review aims to characterize the general characteristics, physicochemical properties, and health-related studies of onion, garlic, and cruciferous vegetable consumption, as well as the influence of food processing on their content of active substances. The review aims to present cost-effective anti-tumor means that would include the implementation in the diet of sulfur-based compounds in foods
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