The recognition that food-derived nonnutrient molecules can modulate gene expression to influence intracellular molecular mechanisms has seen the emergence of the fields of nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics. The aim of this review is to describe the properties of nutrigenomic activators of transcription factor Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2), comparing the potential for sulforaphane and other phytochemicals to demonstrate clinical efficacy as complementary medicines. Broccoli-derived sulforaphane emerges as a phytochemical with this capability, with oral doses capable of favourably modifying genes associated with chemoprevention. Compared with widely used phytochemical-based supplements like curcumin, silymarin, and resveratrol, sulforaphane more potently activates Nrf2 to induce the expression of a battery of cytoprotective genes. By virtue of its lipophilic nature and low molecular weight, sulforaphane displays significantly higher bioavailability than the polyphenol-based dietary supplements that also activate Nrf2. Nrf2 activation induces cytoprotective genes such as those playing key roles in cellular defense mechanisms including redox status and detoxification. Both its high bioavailability and significant Nrf2 inducer capacity contribute to the therapeutic potential of sulforaphane-yielding supplements.

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Sulforaphane and Other Nutrigenomic Nrf2 Activators: Can the Clinician’s Expectation Be Matched by the Reality?

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in finding innovative solutions for the efficient removal of contaminants from water, soil, and air. The present study reviews the adsorptive removal of catechol (C), resorcinol (R), hydroquinone (HQ), and their derivatives from various adsorbents. As an effective, efficient, and economic approach for water purification, adsorbents and adsorption processes have been widely studied and applied in different aspects for a long time. The role of various adsorbent materials like activated carbon, activated carbon cloth, carbon nanotubes, polymeric resins, organic clays, Fe(OH)2, and TiO2 was discussed together with that of other experimental parameters. In all the synthetic resins, particularly, aminated hypercrosslinked polymers have good adsorption capability for phenols. These polymeric adsorbents are suitable for industrial effluents containing C, R, HQ, and their derivatives. The adsorption capacities of the adsorbents reviewed here vary significantly depending on the characteristics of the individual adsorbent, the extent of chemical modifications, and the concentrations of solutes.

/pdf/adsorption-of-catechol-resorcinol-hydroquinone-and-their-4s5h7nr2ie.pdf

Adsorption of catechol, resorcinol, hydroquinone, and their derivatives: a review

Epidemiological evidence together with preclinical data from animal and in vitro studies strongly support a correlation between soy isoflavone consumption and protection towards breast and prostate cancers. The biological processes modulated by isoflavones, and especially by genistein, have been extensively studied, yet without leading to a clear understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of action involved. This review discusses the existing gaps in our knowledge and evaluates the potential of the new nutrigenomic approaches to improve the study of the molecular effects of isoflavones. Several issues need to be taken into account for the proper interpretation of the results already published for isoflavones. Too often knowledge on isoflavone bioavailability is not taken into account; supra-physiological doses are frequently used. Characterization of the individual variability as defined by the gut microflora composition and gene polymorphisms may also help to explain the discrepancies observed so far in the clinical studies. Finally, the complex inter-relations existing between tissues and cell types as well as cross-talks between metabolic and signalling pathways have been insufficiently considered. By appraising critically the abundant literature with these considerations in mind, the mechanisms of action that are the more likely to play a role in the preventive effects of isoflavones towards breast and prostate cancers are reviewed. Furthermore, the new perspectives opened by the use of genetic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches are highlighted.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0007114508965788

Isoflavones and the prevention of breast and prostate cancer: new perspectives opened by nutrigenomics.

Protective effect of quercetin on aroclor 1254-induced oxidative damage in cultured chicken spermatogonial cells.

The development of tumor drug resistance is one of the biggest obstacles on the way to achieve a favorable outcome of chemotherapy. Among various strategies that have been explored to overcome drug resistance, the combination of current chemotherapy with plant polyphenols as a chemosensitizer has emerged as a promising one. Plant polyphenols are a group of phytochemicals characterized by the presence of more than one phenolic group. Mechanistic studies suggest that polyphenols have multiple intracellular targets, one of which is the proteasome complex. The proteasome is a proteolytic enzyme complex responsible for intracellular protein degradation and has been shown to play an important role in tumor growth and the development of drug resistance. Therefore, proteasome inhibition by plant polyphenols could be one of the mechanisms contributing to their chemosensitizing effect. Plant polyphenols that have been identified to possess proteasome-inhibitory activity include (-)-epigallocatechins-3-gallate (EGCG), genistein, luteolin, apigenin, chrysin, quercetin, curcumin and tannic acid. These polyphenols have exhibited an appreciable effect on overcoming resistance to various chemotherapeutic drugs as well as multidrug resistance in a broad spectrum of tumors ranging from carcinoma and sarcoma to hematological malignances. The in vitro and in vivo studies on polyphenols with proteasome-inhibitory activity have built a solid foundation to support the idea that they could serve as a chemosensitizer for the treatment of cancer. In-depth mechanistic studies and identification of optimal regimen are needed in order to eventually translate this laboratory concept into clinical trials to actually benefit current chemotherapy.

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Targeting Tumor Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway with Polyphenols for Chemosensitization

Phytochemicals inhibit catechol-O-methyltransferase activity in cytosolic fractions from healthy human mammary tissues: implications for catechol estrogen-induced DNA damage.

Marlies Kraaij

Papers

Phytochemicals inhibit catechol-O-methyltransferase activity in cytosolic fractions from healthy human mammary tissues: implications for catechol estrogen-induced DNA damage.