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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Your Environment. Your Health.

Publication Detail

Title: Epigenetics/Epigenomics and Prevention of Early Stages of Cancer by Isothiocyanates.

Authors: Hudlikar, Rasika; Wang, Lujing; Wu, Renyi; Li, Shanyi; Peter, Rebecca; Shannar, Ahmad; Chou, Pochung Jordan; Liu, Xia; Liu, Zhigang; Kuo, Hsiao-Chen Dina; Kong, Ah-Ng

Published In Cancer Prev Res (Phila), (2021 02)

Abstract: Cancer is a complex disease and cancer development takes 10-50 years involving epigenetics. Evidence suggests that approximately 80% of human cancers are linked to environmental factors impinging upon genetics/epigenetics. Because advanced metastasized cancers are resistant to radiotherapy/chemotherapeutic drugs, cancer prevention by relatively nontoxic chemopreventive "epigenetic modifiers" involving epigenetics/epigenomics is logical. Isothiocyanates are relatively nontoxic at low nutritional and even higher pharmacologic doses, with good oral bioavailability, potent antioxidative stress/antiinflammatory activities, possess epigenetic-modifying properties, great anticancer efficacy in many in vitro cell culture and in vivo animal models. This review summarizes the latest advances on the role of epigenetics/epigenomics by isothiocyanates in prevention of skin, colon, lung, breast, and prostate cancers. The exact molecular mechanism how isothiocyanates modify the epigenetic/epigenomic machinery is unclear. We postulate "redox" processes would play important roles. In addition, isothiocyanates sulforaphane and phenethyl isothiocyanate, possess multifaceted molecular mechanisms would be considered as "general" cancer preventive agents not unlike chemotherapeutic agents like platinum-based or taxane-based drugs. Analogous to chemotherapeutic agents, the isothiocyanates would need to be used in combination with other nontoxic chemopreventive phytochemicals or drugs such as NSAIDs, 5-α-reductase/aromatase inhibitors targeting different signaling pathways would be logical for the prevention of progression of tumors to late advanced metastatic states.

PubMed ID: 33055265 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Administration, Oral; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/pharmacology; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/therapeutic use; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/pharmacology; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic/therapeutic use; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/pharmacology; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use*; Aromatase Inhibitors/pharmacology; Aromatase Inhibitors/therapeutic use; Biological Availability; Disease Models, Animal; Epigenesis, Genetic/drug effects*; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/drug effects*; Humans; Isothiocyanates/pharmacology; Isothiocyanates/therapeutic use*; Neoplasms/genetics; Neoplasms/prevention & control*; Oxidation-Reduction/drug effects

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