Thiol-reducing agents prevent sulforaphane-induced growth inhibition in ovarian cancer cells

Seung Cheol Kim, Boyun Choi, Youngjoo Kwon

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10 Scopus citations

Abstract

The inhibitory potential of sulforaphane against cancer has been suggested for different types of cancer, including ovarian cancer. We examined whether this effect is mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), important signaling molecules related to cell survival and proliferation, in ovarian cancer cells. Sulforaphane at a concentration of 10 μM effectively inhibited the growth of cancer cells. Use of specific inhibitors revealed that activation of MAPK pathways by sulforaphane is unlikely to mediate sulforaphane-induced growth inhibition. Sulforaphane did not generate significant levels of intracellular ROS. Pretreatment with thiol reducers, but not ROS scavengers, prevented sulforaphane-induced growth inhibition. Furthermore, diamide, a thiol-oxidizing agent, enhanced both growth inhibition and cell death induced by sulforaphane, suggesting that the effect of sulforaphane on cell growth may be related to oxidation of protein thiols or change in cellular redox status. Our data indicate that supplementation with thiol-reducing agents should be avoided when sulforaphane is used to treat cancer.

Original languageEnglish
Article number1368321
JournalFood and Nutrition Research
Volume61
DOIs
StatePublished - 2017

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work was supported by a grant from the Korean Health Technology R&D Project, funded by the Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare [HI12C0050], to SK; a grant from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning [2014R1A1A3050916]; and a 2013 Ewha Womans University research grant [2013] to YK.

Funding Information:
We thank Dr Ziyan Pessetto for her helpful comments on the cell viability assays.. This work was supported by a grant from the Korean Health Technology R&D Project, funded by the Korea Ministry of Health and Welfare [HI12C0050], to SK; a grant from the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning [2014R1A1A3050916]; and a 2013 Ewha Womans University research grant [2013] to YK.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Author(s).

Keywords

  • Diamide
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Reactive oxygen scavengers
  • Sulforaphane
  • Thiol-reducing agents

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