Sulforaphane Augments Glutathione and Influences Brain Metabolites in Human Subjects: A Clinical Pilot Study.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Uncontrolled before-and-after clinical pilot study in healthy volunteers combined with preclinical data.
PubMed 29888232 · doi:10.1159/000487639
What was done
The authors investigated the effect of 7 days of daily oral sulforaphane administration on blood glutathione (GSH) levels in healthy human subjects. In parallel, they measured GSH changes in the anterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, and thalamus using 7-Tesla magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Preclinical models of GSH deficiency were also evaluated to assess the correlation between whole-brain and peripheral GSH levels.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, sample sizes, or effect sizes. Preclinically, whole-brain and peripheral GSH levels were correlated. In humans, 7 days of oral sulforaphane increased blood GSH and produced a consistent increase in brain GSH across the evaluated regions, with a significant positive correlation between blood and thalamic GSH post-to-pre-treatment ratios.
Why it matters
This study offers preliminary proof-of-mechanism in humans that oral sulforaphane can modulate brain antioxidant levels, supporting further investigation in neuropsychiatric disorders linked to oxidative stress.
Limits
The abstract does not disclose the sample size, dosage, or quantitative data (such as means, effect sizes, or p-values). As an uncontrolled pilot study in healthy volunteers, it lacks a placebo group and cannot establish clinical efficacy in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders.
Cited by
- supports Human studies show that sulforaphane supplementation increases glutathione levels in both blood plasma and the brain via Nrf2 pathway activation.