ABSTRACT

A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is considered protective against cancer, and this association is quite persuasive for cruciferous vegetables. Common edible cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, watercress, kale, cabbage, bok choy, collard greens, and horseradish. Initial evidence for the protective effect of cruciferous vegetables against cancer emerged from population-based case-control studies. An inverse association between dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables and cancer risk has been noted for different types of malignancies, including those of the stomach (Chyou et al. 1990), ovary (Pan et al. 2004), lung (Steinmetz et al. 1993), prostate (Kolonel et al. 2000), bladder (Michaud et al. 1999), and colon, to cite a few (Moy et al. 2008). The anticarcinogenic effect of cruciferous vegetables is partly attributed to chemicals with an isothiocyanate (ITC; –N = C = S) functional group (Hecht 2000; Conaway et al. 2002; Keum et al. 2004). Bioavailability, safety, efcacy, and ability to target multiple oncogenic pathways are desired attributes for a clinically useful cancer chemopreventive agent. The ITCs meet all of these criteria substantiated by laboratory

24.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 447 24.2 Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics of BITC ........................................................................448 24.3 Preclinical Evidence for Anticancer Effect of BITC ............................................................449