Studio degli effetti funzionali e tossici di derivati di Brassicaceae in modelli sperimentali

Brassica vegetables are rich in bioactive phytochemicals known for their healthy properties. The chemopreventive potential of sprout extract from Tuscan black cabbage (TBCSE), through modulation of hepatic xenobiotic-metabolizing apparatus and antioxidant defenses, was investigated in rats administered with the extract. A complex, mild modulation pattern, mainly inhibition, of the P450-related monooxygenases as well as significant inductions of phase II (glutathione S-transferase and UDPglucuronosyl-transferase glutathione) and antioxidant enzymes (catalase, NAD(P)H:quinone reductase, glutathione reductase and peroxidase), were recorded. Afterward, the role of TBCSE intake was studied against the alterations from a high fat diet. The extract was able to counteract the hyperlipidaemia, the body and liver weight gains, and the antioxidant as well as the phase II enzymes deregulation, induced by the diet rich in fat. Overall, these results are in support of the potential health-promoting application of TBCSE, as a nutraceutical, to counteract the perturbations associated with a hyperlipidaemic diet, and with chemopreventive properties. A high intake of dietary supplements based on Brassica derived phytochemicals, as alimentary strategy for boosting health, might, nevertheless, be harmful. The potential toxicity of sulforaphane, glucoraphanin, indole-3-carbinol and 3,3ࢠ-diindolylmethane, was evaluated in primary rat heapatocytes. The cytotoxicity and the oxidative stress, observed at concentrations, not far from the ones reached in in vivo experiments, along with the strong modulation of gene expression, mainly concerning xenobiotic metabolism, response to cellular redox status alterations, DNA and proteins repair, apoptosis induction, and (co)carcinogenic mechanisms, underline the potential risk deriving from a regular intake of high doses of molecules from Brassicaceae.