ARS | Publication request: DIETARY ISOTHIOCYANATE IBERIN INHIBITS GROWTH AND INDUCES APOPTOSIS IN HUMAN GLIOBLASTOMA CELLS

Submitted to: Trade Journal Publication
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: January 2, 2007
Publication Date: February 20, 2007
Citation: Jadhav, U., Ezhilarasan, R., Vaughn, S.F., Berhow, M.A., Mohanam, S. 2007. Dietary isothiocyanate iberin inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in human glioblastoma cells. Journal of Pharmacological Sciences 103(2):247-251.

Interpretive Summary: The National Cancer Institute estimates that about one-third of all cancers are linked to diet. Consumption of certain foods has been associated with lowering cancer incidence, including brain tumors. Cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, contain a group of chemicals called glucosinolates which degrade to form potent anti-cancer compounds. One of these compounds, termed iberin, was found to inhibit the growth of human cancer cells. These findings indicate that consumption of iberin may be useful in the prevention and intervention of brain tumors.

Technical Abstract: In this study, we evaluated the antiproliferative and proapoptotic effects of the isothiocyanate iberin, a bioactive agent in Brassicaceae species, in human glioblastoma cells. The human glioblastoma cell cultures were treated with different concentrations of iberin and tested for growth inhibition, cytotoxicity, induction of apoptosis, and activation of caspases. Iberin inhibited growth of tumor cells in cell proliferation assays, enhanced cytotoxicity and induced apoptosis by activation of caspase-3 and caspase-9. Findings from this study could provide a basis for potential usefulness of the diet-derived isothiocyanate iberin as a promising therapeutic micronutrient in the prevention/intervention of brain tumors.