Broccoli to cut down the Prostate Cancer Risk

A research work has found out that consumption of broccoli can help in reducing prostate cancer risk.

Researchers have discovered that sulforaphane, a chemical found in broccoli, while interacting with cells lacking a gene called PTEN can reduce the chances of prostate cancer development.

Richard Mithen, from the Institute of Food Research, an institute of BBSRC, along with a team of researchers on Norwich Research Park, UK, carried out a series of experiments in human prostate tissue and mouse models of prostate cancer to research the way, an expression of the PTEN gene and the anti-cancer activity of sulforaphane interact with each other.

The research team discovered that in cells, which express PTEN, dietary intervention with SF makes no effect on the development of cancer. In cells, which do not express the gene, however, sulforaphane can cause them to become less competitive.

"PTEN is a tumor suppressor gene, the deletion or inactivation of which can initiate prostate carcinogenesis, and enhance the probability of cancer progression. We have shown here that sulforaphane has different effects depending on whether the PTEN gene is present," he said.

"This also suggests potential therapeutic applications of sulforaphane and related compounds," Mithen added.

The study has been appeared in BioMed Central’s open access journal Molecular Cancer.