Bioactive sulforaphane from cruciferous vegetables: advances in biosynthesis, metabolism, bioavailability, delivery, health benefits, and applications.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review of preclinical mechanisms, pharmacology, and potential applications without systematic review or meta-analysis.
PubMed 38841734 · doi:10.1080/10408398.2024.2354937
What was done
Narrative review synthesizing a decade of research on bioactive sulforaphane (SFN) derived from cruciferous vegetables, examining its biosynthesis, gut microbiota hydrolysis, metabolism via the mercapturic acid pathway, microencapsulation delivery systems, and potential biological mechanisms against chronic inflammatory diseases (including cancer, obesity, and type 2 diabetes) and neurological disorders.
What was found
The abstract provides a purely qualitative overview and reports no numerical data or effect sizes. It notes that SFN undergoes rapid metabolism and excretion via the mercapturic acid pathway, that microencapsulation improves stability and targeted delivery, and that therapeutic actions occur via modulation of oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, immune responses, and intestinal homeostasis.
Why it matters
Provides a comprehensive summary of sulforaphane pharmacology and formulation strategies, framing its translation into functional food and pharmaceutical applications.
Limits
The paper is a narrative overview without a systematic search protocol, meta-analytic pooling, or quality appraisal of included studies. The abstract provides no specific human clinical data, dose-response metrics, or toxicity thresholds.
Cited by
- supports When ingested, sulforaphane is rapidly taken up by human cells, conjugated with glutathione, and excreted into urine.