Abstract
Sulforaphane (SFN), an isothiocyanate (ITC) derived from cruciferous vegetables, particularly broccoli and broccoli sprouts, has been widely investigated due to its promising health-promoting properties in disease, and low toxicity in normal tissue. Although not yet fully understood, many mechanisms of anticancer activity at each step of cancer development have been attributed to this ITC. Given the promising data available regarding SFN, this review aimed to provide an overview on the potential activities of SFN related to the cellular mechanisms involved in glioblastoma (GBM) progression. GBM is the most frequent malignant brain tumor among adults and is currently an incurable disease due mostly to its highly invasive phenotype, and the poor efficacy of the available therapies. Despite all efforts, the median overall survival of GBM patients remains approximately 1.5 years under therapy. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide support for translating the progress in understanding the molecular background of GBM into more complex, but promising therapeutic strategies, in which SFN may find a leading role.
Highlights
Primary Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors refer to a variety of tumors arising from cells within the brain, and among them, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most aggressive and malignant forms [1]
Annabi et al showed that the increased secretion of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP)-9 by human brain microvascular endothelial cells was decreased by SFN treatment
The current chemotherapy may lead to drug resistance in GBM treatment, as it severely destabilizes the cell metabolism and cell signaling network
Summary
Primary Central Nervous System (CNS) tumors refer to a variety of tumors arising from cells within the brain, and among them, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most aggressive and malignant forms [1]. Alkylating the agent and its main mechanism of action is the arrest of the cell cycle at G2/M checkpoint, Thetomost effective available for GBM, especially in elderly patients, include surgical leading apoptosis of GBM cellstherapies [23]. There iseffective an urgent need for critical novel, targeted, effective chemotherapy is the cancer drug resistance that is controlled by different intrinsic and extrinsic therapies for GBM. SFN shows its chemoprotective and chemotherapeutic properties through its pleiotropic activity by modulating different mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of cancer This ITC is considered to be a phytochemical with low toxicity. As many studies have shown, SFN induces apoptosis in many different cell types, as in prostate cancer, where the ITC is able to activate caspases, to decrease DNA content and to increase Bax:Bcl-2 ratio [56]. N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK), protein kinase B (p-Akt) and β-catenin, and interrupt the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt and Wnt signaling pathways [73,74]
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