Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2013;2013:415078. doi: 10.1155/2013/415078. Epub 2013 Jul 25.

Sulforaphane as a potential protective phytochemical against neurodegenerative diseases.

Tarozzi A1, Angeloni C, Malaguti M, Morroni F, Hrelia S, Hrelia P.

• 1Department for Life Quality Studies, Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Rimini, Italy.

Abstract

A wide variety of acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases, including ischemic/traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease, share common characteristics such as oxidative stress, misfolded proteins, excitotoxicity, inflammation, and neuronal loss.

As no drugs are available to prevent the progression of these neurological disorders, intervention strategies using phytochemicals have been proposed as an alternative form of treatment. Among phytochemicals, isothiocyanate sulforaphane, derived from the hydrolysis of the glucosinolate glucoraphanin mainly present in Brassica vegetables, has demonstrated neuroprotective effects in several in vitro and in vivo studies.

In particular, evidence suggests that sulforaphane beneficial effects could be mainly ascribed to its peculiar ability to activate the Nrf2/ARE pathway. Therefore, sulforaphane appears to be a promising compound with neuroprotective properties that may play an important role in preventing neurodegeneration.

PMID: 23983898

J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2012 Aug 15;903:171-6. doi: 10.1016/j.jchromb.2012.07.017. Epub 2012 Jul 21.

Quantitative profiling of glucosinolates by LC-MS analysis reveals several cultivars of cabbage and kale as promising sources of sulforaphane.

Sasaki K1, Neyazaki M, Shindo K, Ogawa T, Momose M.

• 1Central Laboratories for Frontier Technology, Kirin Holdings Company, 3377 Soutome, Sakura-city, Tochigi 329-1414, Japan. Katsunori Sasaki@kirin.co.jp

Abstract

Sulforaphane is an isothiocyanate well known for its potential health benefits. With the aim of finding sulforaphane supply sources, its precursor, glucoraphanin, was widely searched for among Brassica oleracea varieties. Quantitative profiling of seven glucosinolates by LC-MS analysis was performed on 6 cultivars of broccoli, 32 of cabbage and 24 cultivars of kale. The glucoraphanin levels found in three cultivars of cabbage and six cultivars of kale were comparable with, or even higher than, the highest of broccoli (119.4 mg/100g FW). The most promising group belonged to the black kale, Cavolo nero. Use of a C30 column and an ammonium formate buffer in LC-MS and a micro plate solid phase extraction technique was highly effective.

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

PMID:

22857862