Sulforaphane from broccoli, an epigenetic modulator in cancer cells

---

Résumé

The consumption of cruciferous vegetables offers several health benefits due to
some of their compounds. Sulforaphane (SFN), a compound found in cabbage
and broccoli, has received special attention in recent years due to its anticancer
activities. The main objective of this systematic review is to examine the epigenetic
and genetic effects of SFN on cancers (in vitro and in vivo) which contribute to its
anticancer activities. We only analyzed studies that combined its epigenetic effects
and anticancer activities due to the multitude of studies on SFN over the past few
years. We found that SFN is able to regulate epigenetic mechanisms and promote
the prevention and treatment of several cancers. Definitely, it prevents tumor
growth and acts as a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, a DNA methyltransferase
(DNMT) inhibitor, and a microRNA regulator in several cancers. These epigenetic
regulations lead indirectly to a hyperregulation or deregulation of the expression of
genes involved in carcinogenesis. SFN hasn’t any major epigenetic effect on normal
cells. This review revealed that the anticancer activities attributable to SFN are
largely related to its ability to modulate cancer cell epigenome. These capabilities to
modulate the epigenome make SFN a promising anticancer agent with significant
therapeutic potential.

Mots-clés

Sulforaphane, Epigenetic mechanisms, Broccoli