Bloemkool tegen borstkanker.*

Allerlei variëteiten bloemkool blijken heel effectief te zijn in de bestrijding van borstkanker. In bloemkool (een kruisbloemige groente, zoals broccoli en andere koolsoorten) blijkt een bepaalde stof, indole-3-carbinol, rijkelijk aanwezig te zijn. Deze stof reageert als onderdrukker van gevaarlijke oestrogenen die kanker bevorderen in hormoon gevoelige cellen, zoals borstcellen. Bloemkool is effectief zowel bij een ER+ als ER- type borstkanker.

CHEMOPROTECTIVE CAULIFLOWER

Brassica Compounds Combat Breast Cancer

A new study published in The Journal of Nutrition adds support to the health benefits of cruciferous vegetables as anti-cancer foods. In this latest study, researchers from the University of Urbino in Italy found cauliflower compounds may offer protection against breast cancer.  Using cauliflower juice obtained from several varieties, researchers found the cauli-cocktail suppressed breast cancer cell growth in a dose-dependent manner (i.e. the more juice, the less growth).

Most encouraging was how the cauliflower compounds appeared to target breast cancer cells in particular – suppressing cancer cell growth and possibly promoting cancer cell death.

While this study did not mention any specific compounds, many previous studies have shown that indole-3-carbinol (I3C), abundant in cauliflower, acts as an anti-estrogen, reducing levels of harmful estrogens that can promote cancer growth in hormone-sensitive cells, such as breast cells.   Cauliflower, like other Brassica veggies (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, etc.) also contains glucosinolates which trigger your body’s own natural detoxification systems. Mechanisms of Action and Antiproliferative Properties of Brassica oleracea Juice in Human Breast Cancer Cell Lines^1,2

Giorgio Brandi^*,Department of Experimental Oncology, Unit 10, Istituto Nazionale per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori, Milan, Italy

³To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: brandi@uniurb.it

Cruciferous vegetables are an important source of compounds that may be useful for chemoprevention. In this study, we evaluated the antiproliferative activity of juice obtained from leaves of several varieties of Brassica oleracea on both estrogen receptor (ER)-positive (ER+; MCF-7 and BT474) and ER-negative (ER–; MDA-MB-231 and BT20) human breast cancer cell lines. The effect of juice on cell proliferation was evaluated on DNA synthesis and on cell cycle–related proteins. Juice markedly reduced DNA synthesis, evaluated by [³H]thymidine incorporation, starting from low concentrations (final concentration 5–15 mL/L), and this activity was independent of ER. All cauliflower varieties tested suppressed cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Cell growth inhibition was accompanied by significant cell death at the higher juice concentrations, although no evidence of apoptosis was found. Interestingly, the juice displayed a preferential activity against breast cancer cells compared with other mammalian cell lines investigated (ECV304, VERO, Hep2, 3T3, and MCF-10A) (P < 0.01). At the molecular level, the inhibition of proliferation was associated with significantly reduced CDK6 expression and an increased level of p27 in ER+ cells but not in ER– cells, whereas a common feature in all cell lines was significantly decreased retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation. These results suggest that the edible part of Brassica oleracea contains substances that can markedly inhibit the growth of both ER+ and ER– human breast cancer cells, although through different mechanisms. These results suggest that the widely available cruciferous vegetables are potential chemopreventive agents. ( Okt. 2005)