Treasure · Immunology and cell biology 2023 · narrative review · n=?

Exploring the anti-inflammatory activity of sulforaphane.

Cited 54 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review summarizing mechanistic pathways and published literature with no new empirical clinical data.

PubMed 37650498 · doi:10.1111/imcb.12686 · record verified 2026-08-26

What was done

This narrative review synthesized published evidence regarding the biological mechanisms, anti-inflammatory actions, and potential steroid-sparing applications of sulforaphane, a brassica-derived phytochemical.

What was found

The abstract reports no numerical data. Mechanistically, sulforaphane induces phase II detoxification enzymes via NRF2 signaling, negatively regulates NF-κB activation and downstream cytokine release, inhibits inflammasome activation, and directly modulates macrophage migration inhibitory factor activity.

Why it matters

Understanding the anti-inflammatory targets of sulforaphane may guide the development of adjunctive or alternative therapies that mitigate the adverse side effects associated with long-term glucocorticoid use.

Limits

As a narrative review, it provides no systematic search strategy, meta-analytic data, or novel clinical trial findings. The abstract reports no quantitative effect sizes, clinical dosing parameters, or human efficacy and safety outcomes.

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