N-acetylcysteine conjugate of phenethyl isothiocyanate enhances apoptosis in growth-stimulated human lung cells.

We previously showed that dietary treatment with the N-acetylcysteine conjugate of phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC-NAC) inhibited benzo(a)pyrene-induced lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice, and that tumor inhibition was associated with induction of activator protein-1 (AP-1) activity and stimulation of apoptosis in the lungs of mice. In the present study, we show that PEITC-NAC also induces apoptosis and AP-1 activity in human lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells, and that activation of AP-1 is important in PEITC-NAC induced apoptosis in these cells. PEITC-NAC induced AP-1 binding activity in A549 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner; peak activity appeared at 10 micromol/L after 24 hours. At that time, flow cytometric analysis showed a sub-G1 peak, indicating that approximately 4.5% of the cells had undergone apoptosis. When wild-type c-jun cDNA was transfected into A549 cells, PEITC-NAC-mediated apoptosis was greatly increased in the c-jun-transfected cells compared with the control vector-transfected cells, based on cell morphology and analysis of DNA fragmentation. Furthermore, cells that were pretreated with 100 nmol/L 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate, and then treated with 25 micromol/L PEITC-NAC, underwent enhanced apoptosis compared with cells that were treated with PEITC-NAC alone; cells treated with 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate alone showed active cell growth without apoptosis. Bivariate flow cytometric analysis of DNA strand breaks versus DNA content showed that apoptosis induced by PEITC-NAC occurred predominantly in the G2-M phase. These findings suggest that growth-stimulated cells with an elevated basal AP-1 activity, i.e., A549 cells transfected with wild-type c-jun or treated with a tumor promoter, were more sensitive to PEITC-NAC-mediated apoptosis. The observation that PEITC-NAC induces apoptosis predominantly in growth-promoted cells, such as neoplastic cells, suggests a selective mechanism by which PEITC-NAC inhibits lung carcinogenesis.

Phenethyl isothiocyanate and sulforaphane and their N-acetylcysteine conjugates inhibit malignant progression of lung adenomas induced by tobacco carcinogens in A/J mice.

We have shown previously that naturally occurring isothiocyanates derived from cruciferous vegetables and their N-acetylcysteine conjugates inhibit lung adenoma formation induced by tobacco carcinogens in A/J mice at the post-initiation stage. The tumor-inhibitory activity by these compounds is linked with activation of activator protein and induction of apoptosis in lung tissues, suggesting that these compounds may also inhibit the development of adenomas to adenocarcinomas in lung. In this study, the chemopreventive activity of phenethyl isothiocyanate and sulforaphane and their N-acetylcysteine conjugates during progression of lung adenomas to malignant tumors was investigated in A/J mice. Mice were divided into 14 groups and treated with a mixture of 3 micromol benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] and 3 micromol 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) given by gavage once weekly for 8 weeks. Twenty weeks after the beginning of carcinogen administration, a total of 20 mice in the treatment groups were sacrificed with an average yield of 7.3 +/- 4.5 lung adenomas per mouse. The remaining mice in each group were fed diets containing phenethyl isothiocyanate (3 and 1.5 mmol/kg diet), sulforaphane (3 and 1.5 mmol/kg diet), phenethyl isothiocyanate-N-acetylcysteine (8 and 4 mmol/kg diet), sulforaphane-N-acetylcysteine (8 and 4 mmol/kg diet) during weeks 21 to 42. Four mice in each of the high-dose treatment groups were sacrificed during weeks 28 and 36 and the bioassay was terminated during week 42; lung tissues were harvested for histopathologic examination of tumors and for cell proliferation (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) and apoptosis (caspase-3) assays using immunohistochemical staining. At termination, the incidence of adenocarcinoma in the 3 mmol/kg diet phenethyl isothiocyanate group and 8 mmol/kg diet phenethyl isothiocyanate-N-acetylcysteine group was reduced to 19% and 13%, respectively, compared with 42% in the carcinogen-treated control group. At the lower doses, phenethyl isothiocyanate and its N-acetylcysteine conjugate also inhibited the incidences of lung adenocarcinoma, however, the decreases were not statistically significant. The lung tumor incidences in groups treated with sulforaphane-N-acetylcysteine in the diet were also significantly reduced to 11% or 16%. Furthermore, the malignant lung tumor multiplicity was significantly reduced from 1.0 tumor/mouse in the carcinogen-treated control group to 0.3 in the sulforaphane low-dose group, 0.3 and 0.4 in the two sulforaphane-N-acetylcysteine groups, and 0.4 in the phenethyl isothiocyanate high-dose group. The malignant tumor multiplicities in other treatment groups were also reduced (0.5-0.8 tumors/mouse), but not significantly. Unlike lung adenocarcinomas, both incidences and multiplicities of lung adenomas were not much affected by treatment with isothiocyanates or their conjugates. Immunohistochemical examination of the lung tumors from all time points indicated that significant reduction in proliferating cell nuclear antigen and induction of apoptosis (terminal nucleotidyl transferase-mediated nick end labeling and caspase-3) were observed in the isothiocyanate and isothiocyanate-N-acetylcysteine-treated groups that showed inhibition of the development of lung adenocarcinomas. The results of the study provide a basis for future evaluation of the potential of phenethyl isothiocyanate and sulforaphane and their conjugates as chemopreventive agents in smokers and ex-smokers with early lung lesions.

Ingestion of an isothiocyanate metabolite from cruciferous vegetables inhibits growth of human prostate cancer cell xenografts by apoptosis and cell cycle arrest.

Epidemiological surveys indicate that intake of cruciferous vegetables is inversely related to prostate cancer incidence, although the responsible dietary factors have not been identified. Our studies demonstrated that exposure of human prostate cancer cells in culture to the N-acetylcysteine (NAC) conjugate of phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC-NAC), the major metabolite of PEITC that is abundant in watercress, inhibited proliferation and tumorigenesis. The PEITC-NAC is known to mediate cytoprotection at initiation of carcinogenesis. The relevance of PEITC-NAC in diets on the growth of prostate tumor cells has been evaluated in immunodeficient mice with xenografted tumors of human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. The daily PEITC-NAC (8 micromol/g) supplemented diet group showed a significant reduction in tumor size in 100% of the mice during the 9-week treatment period. Tumor weight at autopsy was reduced by 50% compared with mice on the diet without PEITC-NAC (P = 0.05). Mitosis and in vivo 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine labeled proliferating cells were reduced in these tumors. The PEITC-NAC diet up-regulated the inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases p21WAF-1/Cip-1 and p27Kip1, and reduced the expression of cyclins D and E, indicating they were potential molecular targets. As a result, phosphorylated Rb was significantly decreased and the G1- to S-phase transition retarded. The treated tumors also showed a significant increase in apoptosis as determined by in situ end-labeling, and by poly ADP-ribose polymerase cleavage. This study demonstrates the first in vivo evidence of dietary PEITC-NAC inhibiting tumorigenesis of prostate cancer cells. PEITC-NAC may prevent initiation of carcinogenesis and modulate the post-initiation phase by targeting cell cycle regulators and apoptosis induction.

Urinary isothiocyanate excretion, brassica consumption, and gene polymorphisms among women living in Shanghai, China.

Alternative measures of Brassica vegetable consumption (e.g., cabbage) may clarify the association between Brassica and cancer risk. Brassica isothiocyanates (ITCs) are excreted in urine and may provide a sensitive and food-specific dietary biomarker. However, the persistence of ITCs in the body may be brief and dependent on the activity of several Phase II enzymes, raising questions about the relationship between a single ITC measure and habitual dietary patterns. This study investigates the association between urinary ITC excretion and habitual Brassica consumption, estimated by a food frequency questionnaire, among healthy Chinese women enrolled in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study. Participants (n = 347) completed a validated food frequency questionnaire querying habitual dietary intake during the prior 5 years and provided a fasting first-morning urine specimen. Genetic deletion of glutathione S-transferases (GSTM1/GSTT1), and single nucleotide substitutions in GSTP1 (A313G) and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1: C609T), were identified from blood DNA. Urinary ITC excretion levels were marginally higher with the GSTT1-null or GSTP1-G/G genotypes (P = 0.07, P = 0.05, respectively). Mean habitual Brassica intake was 98.3 g/day, primarily as bok choy, and Brassica intake significantly increased across quartile categories of ITC levels. The association between habitual Brassica intake and urinary ITC levels was stronger among women with GSTT1-null or GSTP1-A/A genotypes, or NQO1 T-allele, and the interaction was statistically significant across GSTP1 genotype. In conclusion, a single urinary ITC measure, in conjunction with markers of Phase II enzyme activity, provides a complementary measure of habitual Brassica intake among Shanghai women.

Isothiocyanates as cancer chemopreventive agents: their biological activities and metabolism in rodents and humans.

Isothiocyanates (ITCs) are a group of naturally occurring compounds that occur as thioglucoside conjugates, termed glucosinolates, in plants and cruciferous vegetables such as watercress, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, kai choi, kale, horseradish, radish and turnip. ITCs inhibit the development of tumors in many of the experimental models investigated, and are being investigated as possible chemopreventive agents for specific human cancers. The goal of this review is to provide a mechanistic understanding for the biological activities of ITCs and to relate the metabolism of ITCs to their action as chemopreventive agents. In vivo animal studies have been conducted to address issues of tissue disposition, pharmacokinetics, and metabolism of ITCs. Methods for analysis of ITCs and their metabolites in urine and plasma have been developed. The metabolism of several naturally occurring ITCs as constituents of foodstuffs or as drugs has also been investigated in human studies. Finally, based on recent epidemiological studies, the role of dietary consumption of vegetables containing ITCs in prevention of human cancers and human cancer susceptibility is discussed.

Inhibition of benzo(a)pyrene-induced lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice by dietary N-acetylcysteine conjugates of benzyl and phenethyl isothiocyanates during the postinitiation phase is associated with activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases and p53 activity and induction of apoptosis.

Recent studies in cell culture have shown that isothiocyanates (ITCs) induce apoptosis via activation of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases and p53 pathways, suggesting a potential for ITCs or their conjugates to inhibit tumorigenesis during the postinitiation phase. To evaluate whether ITC compounds administered after carcinogen treatment inhibit lung tumorigenesis, we investigated in A/J mice the effects of the N-acetylcysteine (NAC) conjugates of benzyl (BITC-NAC) and phenethyl ITC (PEITC-NAC) in the diet (15 micromol/g) administered after a single dose of 20 micromol benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P]. The formation of lung adenomas was examined 140 days after B(a)P dosing. Both the BITC-NAC and PEITC-NAC-treated groups showed a significant reduction in lung tumor multiplicity from 6.1 +/- 3.1 tumors/mouse in the B(a)P group fed the control diet to 3.7 +/- 2.9 and 3.4 +/- 2.7 tumors/mouse (P = 0.018 and 0.006, respectively). To investigate the mechanisms of tumor inhibition, lung tissues were obtained at 21, 84, and 140 days at interim sacrifices during the bioassay. These tissues showed a significant increase in apoptosis as determined by in situ end-labeling for both ITC-NAC-treated groups. The MAP kinase pathway was activated in the ITC-NAC-treated groups. The activation of c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase was higher in the BITC-NAC and PEITC-NAC groups when compared with B(a)P-treated control. The phosphorylation of p38 and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ErKs) 1 and 2 was also induced by these treatments. To determine the downstream target of MAP kinases, activator protein-1 (AP-1) and nuclear factor-kappaB activities were evaluated by gel shift assay. The AP-1 binding activity was remarkably increased in lung tissue from both the BITC-NAC and PEITC-NAC groups. No change in nuclear factor-kappaB binding activity was found, however. Phosphorylation of p53 was also higher than the constitutive levels in both ITC-NAC-treated groups, but no induction of p53 expression was detected. This study demonstrates the chemopreventive efficacy of the NAC conjugates of PEITC and BITC administered in the diet after a single dose of B(a)P for lung tumorigenesis and provides the first in vivo evidence that activation of MAP kinases, AP-1 transcription factors, p53 phosphorylation, and the induction of apoptosis may be involved in the chemopreventive activity of these compounds.