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PubMed2001

Involvement of glutathione metabolism in the cytotoxicity of the phenethyl isothiocyanate and its cysteine conjugate to human leukaemia cells in vitro.

The dietary isothiocyanate and cancer chemopreventive agent, phenethyl isothiocyanate, induced apoptosis of human leukaemia HL60 and human myeloblastic leukaemia ML-1 cells in vitro. Cytotoxicity was associated with an initial decrease in GSH and GSSG, with a concomitant formation of the GSH adduct S-(N-phenethylthiocarbamoyl)glutathione inside cells, which was then exported from cells. After 12 hr, the cellular concentration of GSH recovered and then declined after 24 hr. Buthionine sulphoximine prevented the recovery of cellular GSH concentration and potentiated the cytotoxicity of phenethyl isothiocyanate. S-(N-phenethylthiocarbamoyl)glutathione spontaneously fragmented to GSH and phenethyl isothiocyanate, GSH oxidized to GSSG and glutathionyl-protein disulphides, and phenethyl isothiocyanate hydrolyzed to phenylethylamine. GSH and GSSG depletion was more marked in ML-1 cells than in HL60 cells. Studies with [(14)C]-labelled phenethyl isothiocyanate gave evidence of phenethylthiocarbamoylation of cells that maximized after 2-3 hr. This occurred later than the maximum concentration of S-(N-phenethylthiocarbamoyl)glutathione, but coincided with the commitment to apoptosis and cytotoxicity which developed later. The cytotoxicity of phenethyl isothiocyanate was prevented by a high concentration of GSH (15 mM) and delayed by the antioxidant and c-Jun N-terminal kinase signalling pathway inhibitor curcumin. GSH prevented and curcumin partly prevented the decrease in cellular GSH. These studies show that the cysteinyl thiol group of GSH is an important site of thiocarbamoylation by phenethyl isothiocyanate during induction of apoptosis and that this may lead to depletion of cellular GSH by efflux of the GSH conjugate. Thiocarbamoylation also occurred at other sites. The recent demonstration of a critical role for activation of caspase-8 in phenethyl isothiocyanate-induced apoptosis suggests that this thiocarbamoylation directly or indirectly leads to functional activation of a cell death receptor/adaptor protein complex.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1993

Structure-activity relationships of arylalkyl isothiocyanates for the inhibition of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone metabolism and the modulation of xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in rats and mice.

Many arylalkyl isothiocyanates are potent inhibitors of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)-induced lung tumorigenesis in rats and mice. In the mouse, 4-phenylbutyl isothiocyanate (PBITC) and 6-phenylhexyl isothiocyanate (PHITC) exhibited greater inhibition than benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) and phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). The present study was conducted to investigate the structure-activity relationships of these four arylalkyl isothiocyanates for their inhibition of NNK oxidation and effects on xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes in rats and mice. A single dose (0.25 or 1.00 mmol/kg) of each isothiocyanate was given to F344 rats 6 or 24 h before death. The rates of NNK oxidation were decreased in microsomes from the liver, lung and nasal mucosa of rats. Generally, PEITC was more potent than BITC but less potent than PBITC and PHITC. The rates in rat liver microsomes were decreased at 6 h but recovered or increased at 24 h; the rates in rat lung microsomes were markedly decreased at both 6 and 24 h; and the rates in rat nasal mucosa microsomes were also significantly decreased. The same treatment decreased the rat liver N-nitrosodimethylamine demethylase activity dramatically and ethoxyresorufin O-dealkylase and erythromycin N-demethylase activities moderately. However, the rat liver microsomal pentoxy-resorufin O-dealkylase activity was decreased at 6 h but increased at 24 h, with PEITC showing the most marked induction. The rat liver NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase activity was increased 1.4- to 3.3-fold, with PEITC being most effective; and the glutathione S-transferase activity was increased slightly. Similarly, at a single dose of 0.25 mmol/kg (5 mumol/mouse) 24 h before death, PEITC, PBITC, PHITC but not BITC, decreased NNK oxidation in mouse lung microsomes by 40-85%, with PBITC and PHITC showing greater inhibition. Furthermore, all four isothiocyanates extensively inhibited NNK oxidation in rat lung and nasal mucosa microsomes as well as mouse lung microsomes in vitro, with PEITC (IC50 of 120-300 nM) being more potent than BITC (IC50 of 500-1400 nM) but less potent than PBITC and PHITC (IC50 of 15-180 nM). PHITC was a very potent competitive inhibitor of NNK oxidation in mouse lung microsomes with apparent K(i) values of 11-16 nM. These results indicate that PBITC and PHITC are more potent inhibitors of NNK bioactivation in rats and mice than PEITC. In addition, these arylalkyl isothiocyanates could be effective in protecting against the actions of a broad spectrum of carcinogenic or toxic compounds.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of isothiocyanates on cytochrome P-450 1A1 and 1A2 activity and on the mutagenicity of heterocyclic amines.

In this study we investigated the effects of phenyl isothiocyanate (PITC), benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and phenylpropyl isothiocyanate (PPITC) on the mutagenicity of five heterocyclic amines, IQ, MeiQx, Trp-P-2, Glu-P-2 and PhIP in Salmonella typhimurium strain TA 98 in the presence of liver microsomes from male Syrian golden hamsters. In addition, the effects of these isothiocyanates on cytochrome P-450 1A1 and cytochrome P-450 1A2 activities were determined by measuring the deethylation and the demethylation of ethoxyresorufin (EROD) and methoxyresorufin (MROD) respectively. With the exception of Trp-P-2, all four isothiocyanates significantly inhibited HCA-induced mutagenesis in TA 98 at concentrations of 0.05 and 0.1 mumoles/plate. BITC was the only isothiocyanate tested that showed a dose-dependent inhibition of Trp-P-2-induced mutagenesis. These four isothiocyanates showed a dose-dependent inhibition of EROD activity and, with the exception, of BITC, of MROD activity also. This indicates that the inhibition of HCA-induced mutagenesis correlates with the inhibition of cytochrome P-450 1A1 and 1A2. These P450s are known to metabolically activate HCAs. The inhibitory effects of the isothiocyanates were greater toward HCA-induced mutagenesis in TA 98 than toward EROD and MROD activity. This indicates that the antimutagenic effects of PITC, BITC, PEITC and PPITC on HCA-induced mutagenesis in Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 involves more than the inhibition of cytochrome P-450 1A1 and 1A2 activity in hamster liver microsomes.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Inhibition of papain by isothiocyanates.

During the tapping of papaya latex for papain (EC 3.4.22.2), benzyl isothiocyanate is enzymatically produced from benzylglucosinolate, a major component of the latex fluid. Benzyl isothiocyanate inhibits papain hydrolysis of alpha-N-benzoyl-L-arginine ethyl ester (Bz-Arg-OEt). Since tha availability of the papain sulfhydryl group to 5,5'-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoid acid (Nbs2) is inversely related to the extensiveness of the isothiocyanate inhibition, and treatment by benzyl isothiocyanate reduces the affinity of activated papain to a mercurial-Sepharose column, it is proposed that the papain sulfhydryl reacts with the electrophilic functional group of this inhibitor. Fifteen isothiocyanates were selected and both the chemical reactivity antors are involved in the isothiocyanate-papain inhibition: (1) chemical reactivity of isothiocyanates, (2) presence or absence of an aromatic substitution, and (3) the spatial relationship of the aromatic moiety to the -N = C = S group of isothiocyanates. These data further suggest the presence of an 'aromatic site' near the Cys-25 sulfhydryl group of activated papain. Based on the existing model of papain molecule, the imidazole group of His-159 coincides well with our proposed aromatic site. The prospects of using isothiocyanates as chemical probes for the study of chemical environment of active sites in other enzymes are briefly discussed.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1989

Effects of alkyl chain length on the inhibition of NNK-induced lung neoplasia in A/J mice by arylalkyl isothiocyanates.

Six homologous arylakyl isothiocyanates were evaluated for their abilities to inhibit pulmonary adenomas induced by the tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) in A/J mice. Four consecutive daily doses (5 mumol/mouse) of phenyl isothiocyanate (PITC), benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC), phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), 3-phenylpropyl isothiocyanate (PPITC), 4-phenylbutyl isothiocyanate (PBITC), 4-oxo-4-(3-pyridyl)-butyl isothiocyanate (OPBITC) and corn oil were administered to mice by gavage. Two hours following the final dosing, mice were administered saline or 10 mumol of NNK in saline i.p. Pulmonary adenomas were counted at 16 weeks after NNK administration. The mice administered only corn oil prior to NNK developed an average multiplicity of 9.2 tumors/mouse. Pretreatment with PITC, BITC and OPBITC had no significant effects on NNK-induced lung neoplasia. However, PEITC pretreatment resulted in a 64% reduction of lung tumor multiplicity, but did not affect the percentage of mice that developed tumors. Both PPITC and PBITC decreased tumor multiplicity by 96% and the percentage of tumor-bearing animals by greater than 60%. These results, in conjunction with our previous work, demonstrate a general trend of increasing inhibition of NNK-induced lung neoplasia by arylalkyl isothiocyanates with increasing alkyl chain length. This study also demonstrates the remarkable inhibitory activities of PPITC and PBITC, two isothiocyanates that had not previously been tested as chemopreventive agents.

Adenoma↗
PubMed1985

Effects of dietary indoles and isothiocyanates on N-nitrosodimethylamine and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone alpha-hydroxylation and DNA methylation in rat liver.

Dietary-related indoles, isothiocyanates, and the allyl isothiocyanate glucosinolate, sinigrin, were administered to F344 rats in the diet for 2 weeks (chronic protocol) or by gavage 2 h before sacrifice (acute protocol) and the effects of these pretreatments on the alpha-hydroxylation of two carcinogenic nitrosamines, N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK), were evaluated. alpha-Hydroxylation was measured in vitro by quantitation of formaldehyde formation upon incubation of the nitrosamines with liver microsomes, and in vivo by quantitation of levels of 7-methylguanine and O6-methylguanine in hepatic DNA, 4 h after nitrosamine treatment. Compounds shown to be inhibitory in the in vitro assay were selected to be further evaluated using the in vivo assay. The results of the in vitro assays showed that indoles were inducers of the demethylation of both nitrosamines. Indole, L-tryptophan and indole-3-carbinol were strong inducers of NDMA and NNK demethylation, respectively. In contrast, isothiocyanates such as phenethyl isothiocyanate and phenyl isothiocyanate demonstrated a wide range of inhibitory activities toward demethylation of these nitrosamines in both the acute and chronic studies. Chronic, but not acute, pretreatment with sinigrin also caused a significant decrease in the demethylation of NDMA and NNK. In view of their promising inhibitory activities, the effects of phenethyl isothiocyanate, phenyl isothiocyanate and sinigrin on the in vivo methylation of DNA by NDMA and NNK were evaluated. The results were parallel to those obtained in the in vitro assays. Phenethyl isothiocyanate, phenyl isothiocyanate and sinigrin generally inhibited the formation of 7-methylguanine and O6-methylguanine in rat hepatic DNA. The results of this study suggest that these compounds could be anticarcinogenic to NDMA and NNK.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Structure-activity relationships for inhibition of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone lung tumorigenesis by arylalkyl isothiocyanates in A/J mice.

Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), 3-phenylpropyl isothiocyanate (PPITC), 4-phenylbutyl isothiocyanate (PBITC), and the newly synthesized 5-phenylpentyl isothiocyanate (PPeITC), 6-phenylhexyl isothiocyanate (PHITC), and 4-(3-pyridyl)butyl isothiocyanate (PyBITC) were tested for their abilities to inhibit tumorigenicity and DNA methylation induced by the tobacco-specific nitrosamine 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) in the lungs of A/J mice. Mice were administered isothiocyanates by gavage for 4 consecutive days at doses of 5, 1, or 0.2 mumol/day prior to administration of 10 mumol of NNK by i.p. injection. Mice were sacrificed 16 weeks after NNK administration and pulmonary adenomas were quantitated, PEITC effectively inhibited NNK-induced lung tumors at a dose of 5 mumol/day but was not inhibitory at doses of 1 or 0.2 mumol/day. PPITC, PBITC, PPeITC, and PHITC were all considerably more potent inhibitors of NNK lung tumorigenesis than PEITC. While virtually no differences in inhibitory activity could be ascertained for PPITC, PBITC, and PPeITC, PHITC appeared to be the most potent tumor inhibitor of all of the compounds. At a dose of 0.2 mumol/day, PHITC pretreatment reduced tumor multiplicity by 85%. PyBITC, an analogue of both NNK and PBITC, was ineffective as an inhibitor. Using the same protocol, the compounds were found to have qualitatively similar inhibitory effects on NNK-induced DNA methylation when administered at 1 mumol/day. These results extend our previous findings that increased alkyl chain length enhances the inhibitory activity of an arylalkyl isothiocyanate toward NNK lung tumorigenesis and demonstrate the exceptional chemopreventive potentials of two new isothiocyanates, PPeITC and PHITC.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Induction of histone acetylation in mouse erythroleukemia cells by some organosulfur compounds including allyl isothiocyanate.

In previous studies we observed that some allyl sulfides can cause increased acetylation of histones and differentiation in DS19 mouse erythroleukemia cells. In the present work we observed increased acetylation of histones with allyl isothiocyanate and butanethiol but not with butyl sulfide or butyl disulfide. Increased acetylation of histones was established by change in electrophoretic mobility, incorporation of [3H]acetate or immunoblotting. Histone deacetylase in nuclei of DS19 cells was inhibited 74% by 0.5 mM allyl mercaptan and 43% by 0.5 mM butanethiol but was not significantly affected by 0.5 mM allyl isothiocyanate. There was some degree of reversibility in the effect of allyl isothiocyanate when the cells were incubated for 15 hr in fresh medium. The data suggested that allyl isothiocyanate may stimulate histone acetylation rather than inhibit histone deacetylation. Addition of allyl isothiocyanate, however, had very little or no additional effect on the induction of histone acetylation caused by trichostatin A. Histone acetyltransferase activity determined in cell homogenates was not increased by preincubation of cells with allyl isothiocyanate or inclusion of allyl isothiocyanate in the assay medium. It was concluded that treatment of mouse erythroleukemia cells with allyl isothiocyanate can cause increased acetylation of histones but the mechanism for this effect requires further elucidation.

Acetylation↗
PubMed1986

Cytomorphological changes in liver cells exposed to allyl and benzyl isothiocyanate and their cysteine and glutathione conjugates.

Since allyl isothiocyanate has been reported to be a bladder carcinogen and benzyl isothiocyanate is a known anti-carcinogen, it is important to know the mode of their cytotoxic action. This was investigated in a RL-4 hepatocyte cell line by studying the morphological effects of increasing concentrations of the isothiocyanates and their glutathione and cysteine conjugates. These effects were compared with those induced by tert-butylhydroperoxide which supposedly has its primary effect upon the cytosolic glutathione status and thus upon the integrity of Ca2+-sequestrating mitochondria. The results agree with the previously postulated role of conjugation in the exposure of cells to isothiocyanates: Conjugates show effects similar to those produced by the free parent compounds because conjugates release free isothiocyanates in aqueous solution. The cytomorphological effects increase in a more or less dose-dependent manner with increasing concentrations of isothiocyanate or exposure time. Probably due to increased exposure, suspended RL-4 cells are more sensitive to the toxic action than cells growing on a substrate. No qualitative differences were found between the effects of allyl and benzyl isothiocyanate, indicating that their different effects in vivo are perhaps related to organ-specific differences in equilibrium between the conjugated and unconjugated forms of the test substances. The first cytomorphological effects of isothiocyanates consist of surface blebbing (zeiosis) and swelling of dictyosomal cisternae. At higher concentrations swelling extends to vesicles of endoplasmic reticulum. Mitochondria are not affected until the cells reach the necrotic phase of injury.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Blockade of ATP binding site of P2 purinoceptors in rat parotid acinar cells by isothiocyanate compounds.

Extracellular ATP activates a P2Z-type purinergic receptor (purinoceptor) in rat parotid acinar cells that increases the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration via the entry of extracellular Ca2+ through an ATP-sensitive cation channel (Soltoff et al., Am J Physiol 262: C934-C940, 1992). To learn more about the ATP binding site of the purinoceptor, we examined the effects of several stilbene isothiocyanate analogs of DIDS (4,4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid), which block the binding of [32P]ATP to intact parotid cells (McMillian et al., Biochem J 255:291-300, 1988) and blocked the activation of the P2Z purinoceptor. The ATP-stimulated 45Ca2+ uptake was blocked by DIDS, H2DIDS (dihydro-DIDS; 4,4'-diisothiocyanatodihydrostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid), and SITS (4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid), but not by DNDS (4,4'-dinitrostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid), a stilbene disulfonate compound lacking isothiocyanate (SCN-) groups, or by KSCN. The potency of the stilbene disulfonates was related to the number of isothiocyanate groups on each compound. Under the experimental conditions, the IC50 value of DIDS (approximately 35 microM), which has two SCN-groups, was much lower than that of SITS (approximately 125 microM), which has only one SCN-group. The inhibitory effects of DIDS appeared to be much more potent than those of SITS due to the kinetics of their binding to the purinoceptors. Eosin-5-isothiocyanate (EITC) and fluorescein-5-isothiocyanate (FITC), non-stilbene isothiocyanate compounds with single SCN-groups, also blocked the response to ATP and were less potent than DIDS. Trinitrophenyl-ATP (TNP-ATP), an ATP derivative that is not an effective agonist of the parotid P2Z receptor, blocked the covalent binding of DIDS to the plasma membrane, suggesting that ATP and DIDS bind to the same site. Reactive Blue 2 (Cibacron Blue 3GA), an anthraquinone-sulfonic acid derivative that is a noncovalent purinergic antagonist, also blocked the covalent binding of DIDS to the plasma membrane. These results suggest that isothiocyanate compounds interact with the ATP binding site of this P2 purinoceptor, and that isothiocyanate groups make an important contribution in determining the effectiveness of the stilbene disulfonate compounds in blocking the binding of nucleotide agonists to this purinoceptor.

4,4'-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-Disulfonic Acid↗
PubMed2006

Phenethyl isothiocyanate triggers apoptosis in Jurkat cells made resistant by the overexpression of Bcl-2.

Isothiocyanates are a class of naturally occurring chemopreventive agents known to be effective at triggering apoptosis. In this study, we show that whereas overexpression of the oncoprotein Bcl-2 renders Jurkat T-lymphoma cells resistant to a range of cytotoxic agents, phenethyl isothiocyanate is able to overcome the inhibitory action of Bcl-2 and trigger apoptosis. A 50-fold increase in Bcl-2 expression shifted the dose-response curve, with an increase in the phenethyl isothiocyanate LD(50) from 7 to 15 micromol/L, but there was still a complete loss in cell viability at doses in excess of 20 micromol/L. At these concentrations, cytotoxicity was strongly associated with caspase activation, phosphatidylserine exposure, and morphologic changes characteristic of apoptosis. Cytotoxicity was inhibited by treatment of the cells with a broad-spectrum caspase inhibitor. A structure-activity analysis showed that the phenethyl and benzyl isothiocyanates were most effective at triggering apoptosis in cells overexpressing Bcl-2 whereas phenyl isothiocyanate and benzyl thiocyanate had no proapoptotic activity. Allyl isothiocyanate also had limited efficacy despite its ability to trigger apoptosis in the parental Jurkat cell line. From this information, we propose that isothiocyanates modify a key cysteine residue in an apoptosis regulatory protein and that the aromatic side chain facilitates access to the target site. An in-depth investigation of the cellular targets of the aromatic isothiocyanates is warranted.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed1990

Metabolism of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone in mouse lung microsomes and its inhibition by isothiocyanates.

The tobacco-specific carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) induces lung tumors in rats, mice, and hamsters, and metabolic activation is required for the carcinogenicity. 2-Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), whose precursor gluconasturtiin (a glucosinolate) occurs in cruciferous vegetables, has been found to inhibit carcinogenesis by NNK. The purpose of the study was to investigate the enzymes involved in the metabolism of NNK in lung microsomes and to elucidate the mechanisms of inhibition of NNK metabolism by isothiocyanates. NNK metabolism in lung microsomes (isolated from female A/J mice) resulted in the formation of formaldehyde, 4-hydroxy-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (keto alcohol), 4-oxo-4-(3-pyridyl)butyric acid (keto acid), 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl-N-oxide)-1-butanone, and 4-(methyl-nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol, displaying apparent Km values of 5.6, 5.6, 9.2, 4.7, and 2540 microM, respectively. Higher Km values in the formation of formaldehyde and keto alcohol were also observed. When cytochrome P-450 inhibitors [2-(diethylamino)ethyl 2,2-diphenylpentenoate] hydrochloride (100 microM), carbon monoxide (90%), and 9-hydroxyellipticine (10 microM) were used, NNK metabolism was inhibited by each 70, 100, and 30%, respectively. Methimazole (1 mM), an inhibitor of the flavin-dependent monooxygenase, inhibited the formation of 4-(methyl-nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl-N-oxide)-1-butanone and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanol by 20%, but had no effect on the formation of keto alcohol. Inhibitory antibodies against cytochromes P-450IIB1 and -2, P-450IA1, and P-450IA2 inhibited the formation of keto alcohol by 25, 15, and 0%, respectively. Administration of PEITC at doses of 5 and 25 mumol/mouse 2 h before sacrifice produced a 40 and 70% decrease in microsomal NNK metabolism, respectively. PEITC and 3-phenylpropyl isothiocyanate exhibited a mixed type of inhibition, and the competitive component of inhibition had apparent Ki values of 90 and 30 nM, respectively. Preincubation of PEITC in the presence of a NADPH-generating system did not result in a further decrease in the formation of NNK metabolites, indicating that the metabolism of PEITC was not required for the inhibition. When a series of isothiocyanates with varying alkyl chain length (phenyl isothiocyanate, benzyl isothiocyanate, PEITC, 3-phenylpropyl isothiocyanate, and 4-phenylbutyl isothiocyanate) were used, the potency of the inhibition increased with the increase in chain length.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Chemoprevention of lung cancer by isothiocyanates.

Naturally occurring and synthetic isothiocyanates are among the most effective chemopreventive agents known. A wide variety of isothiocyanates prevent cancer of various tissues including the rat lung, mammary gland, esophagus, liver, small intestine, colon, and bladder. Mechanistic studies have shown that the chemopreventive activity of isothiocyanates is due to favorable modification of Phase I and Phase II carcinogen metabolism, resulting in increased carcinogen excretion or detoxification and decreased carcinogen DNA interactions. In the majority of studies reported, the isothiocyanate must be present at the time of carcinogen exposure in order to observe inhibition of tumorigenesis. Our studies have focused on the naturally occurring isothiocyanates phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) as inhibitors of lung cancer. The carcinogens employed in these studies have been the major lung carcinogens in tobacco smoke- 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). Combinations of chemopreventive agents that inhibit tumorigenesis by NNK and BaP in rodents may be effective in addicted smokers. PEITC is an effective inhibitor of lung tumor induction by NNK in F-344 rats and A/J mice. BITC but not PEITC inhibits BaP induced lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice. PEITC is a selective inhibitor of the metabolic activation of NNK in the rodent lung, and studies in smokers who consumed watercress, a source of PEITC, indicate that the metabolic activation of NNK is also inhibited by PEITC in humans. Combinations of chemopreventive agents active against different carcinogens in tobacco smoke may be useful in the chemoprevention of lung cancer.

Animals↗
PubMed2006

Isothiocyanates stimulating oviposition by the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella.

Recognition of cabbage as a host plant for the diamondback moth (DBM) has previously been shown to depend on compounds that are extracted by soaking intact foliage in chloroform. Analysis of such chloroform extracts by open column chromatography has now resulted in the isolation of highly active fractions that elicit oviposition on treated filter papers. Further separation of these fractions by high-performance liquid chromatography revealed the presence of two distinct groups of active compounds that may be classified as volatile and non-volatile. The two prominent volatile components were separated and identified by mass spectrometry as the isothiocyanates, iberin (3-methylsulfinylpropyl isothiocyanate) and sulforaphane (4-methylsulfinyl-3-butenyl isothiocyanate). Subsequent bioassays of a range of isothiocyanates showed that iberin and sulforaphane were the most active of those tested. Other isothiocyanates with sulfur in the side chain were also active, whereas alkyl and phenyl isothiocyanates had only limited activity. In electrophysiological experiments, electroantennograms (EAGs) indicated positive responses of moth antennae to the isothiocyanates that were most active in behavioral assays. Since sulforaphane has been identified as a major inducer of anticarcinogenic activity in mouse tissue, a synthetic analog (exo-2-acetyl-5-isothiocyanatonorbornane) that shows similar inducer activity was tested on DBM. This bicyclic analog was highly active in both behavioral and EAG assays, suggesting similarity in receptor sites for the two types of biological activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Inhibition of Ehrlich ascites cell anion transport by 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid.

The effects of 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzene sulfonic acid on steady state Cl- and SO24(4 transport in Ehrlich mouse ascites tumor cells were investigated. At 10 mM, 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid reduced SO24(-) exchange by 94% but Cl- exchange was reduced by only 37%; Cl- exchange was not further inhibited by as much as 60 min of preincubation with 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid. Inhibition of Cl- exchange was completely reversible following 30-45 min of contact with 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid whereas under the same conditions, inhibition of SO24(-) exchange was irreversible. The effect o 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid on SO24(-) transport could be reversed, however, when exposure to 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzene-sulfonic acid lasted for only 2 min. In these respects the action of 1-isothiocyanate-4-benzenesulfonic acid resembles that of 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid and 4,4'-diisothiocyano-1,2-diphenylethane-2,2'-disulfonic acid; the results are compatible with separate membrane sites for Cl- and SO24(-) transport. The Ki for reversible inhibition of SO24(-) transport, determined from a Dixon plot, was 4.8 mM and the inhibition appeared to be non-competitive.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Effect of frequency of isothiocyanate administration on inhibition of 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone-induced pulmonary adenoma formation in A/J mice.

The abilities of phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) and 6-phenylhexyl isothiocyanate (PHITC) to inhibit 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)-induced lung tumorigenicity, when administered by a standard four-dose protocol or by a single-dose protocol, were determined. Corn oil or isothiocyanates were administered once or for four consecutive days by gavage, with the final (or single) administration of corn oil or inhibitor occurring 2 h prior to a single i.p. injection of NNK (10 mumol/mouse). Sixteen weeks following NNK administration, the experiment was terminated and pulmonary adenomas were quantitated. Pretreatment with PEITC at a dose of 5 mumol or PHITC at a dose of 0.2 mumol resulted in significant reductions of tumor multiplicity compared to control, regardless of whether each isothiocyanate was administered once or four times. For both isothiocyanates, there were no statistically significant differences between dosing frequencies in inhibitory effects on tumor multiplicities and tumor incidences. Furthermore, the results achieved following a single pretreatment with either isothiocyanate were in good agreement with previous results obtained utilizing the four-dose protocol. Thus, it appears that most or all of the inhibitory potential of the four-dose protocol is due to the final dose of isothiocyanate.

Adenoma↗
PubMed2004

A mixture of isothiocyanates induces cyclin B1- and p53-mediated cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis of human T lymphoblastoid cells.

As with other candidate chemopreventive agents, most of our knowledge on the biological effects of isothiocyanates (the many sulfur-containing metabolites found in cruciferous vegetables) comes from studies of single natural or synthetic compounds. To investigate whether the biological/chemopreventive effects of administration of single isothiocyanates can differ from those of a mixture of isothiocyanates, we tested the effects of a mixture of four different isothiocyanates on cell-cycle progression and apoptosis in human T leukemia Jurkat cells, and identified some of the molecular pathways triggered by the mixture. The mixture affected critical points of the cell cycle via modulation of the expression of cyclin B1. Moreover, it induced apoptosis, mediated by an increase in p53 and bax (expression of bcl-2 was unaffected). Comparison of the data with those previously obtained with the single isothiocyanates under identical experimental conditions provides evidence that the quantitative effects of a single, specific isothiocyanate can be significantly different from those of an isothiocyanate mixture at realistic doses.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2002

Quantitative determination of dithiocarbamates in human plasma, serum, erythrocytes and urine: pharmacokinetics of broccoli sprout isothiocyanates in humans.

BACKGROUND: Humans are exposed to substantial quantities of isothiocyanates and glucosinolates from vegetables. Since dietary isothiocyanates are widely regarded as potentially important chemoprotectors against cancer, reliable methods for measuring the plasma and tissue pharmacokinetics of isothiocyanates and their dithiocarbamate metabolites are essential for defining dosing regimens. METHODS: Isothiocyanates (ITC) and dithiocarbamates (DTC) react quantitatively with 1,2-benzenedithiol to produce 1,3-benzodithiole-2-thione that can be quantified spectroscopically. Although this cyclocondensation reaction has been highly useful for analyzing plant material and urine samples, the determination of DTC/ITC (the total quantity of DTC and ITC components in a sample that react in the cyclocondensation reaction) in blood and tissues has been hampered by their low levels and the high concentrations of proteins that interfere with the cyclocondensation reaction. The protein content of blood and tissues was reduced by the precipitation with polyethylene glycol (PEG) or ultrafiltration, and the sensitivity of the method was increased substantially by the solid phase extraction of the cyclocondensation product. RESULTS: Pharmacokinetic measurements were made in four human volunteers who received single doses of about 200 micromol of broccoli sprout isothiocyanates (largely sulforaphane, with lesser amounts of iberin and erucin). Isothiocyanates were absorbed rapidly, reached peak concentrations of 0.943-2.27 micromol/l in plasma, serum and erythrocytes at 1 h after feeding and declined with first-order kinetics (half-life of 1.77+/-0.13 h). The cumulative excretion at 8 h was 58.3+/-2.8% of the dose. Clearance was 369+/-53 ml/min, indicating active renal tubular secretion. CONCLUSION: A sensitive and specific method for quantifying DTC levels in human plasma, serum, and erythrocytes has been devised. Determinations of ITC/DTC levels are important because: (i) dietary isothiocyanates are of potential value in reducing the risk of cancer, and (ii) humans are extensively exposed to DTC as fungicides, insecticides, pesticides and rubber vulcanization accelerators.

Anticarcinogenic Agents↗