Sulforaphane and Prostate Cancer Prevention

A newly started research program focuses on understanding the effects of sulforaphane (SFN), an active ingredient in cruciferous vegetables, on prostate cancer prevention. The project is driven by a multidisciplinary team of investigators, which includes Dr. Dan Lin (Urology), Dr. Beatrice Knudsen (Pathology), Dr. Alan Kristal (Nutritional epidemiologist), Dr. Marian Neuhouser (Nutritional scientist) and Dr. Ruth Etzioni (Statistician). The ultimate goal is to generate the necessary data for a larger cancer prevention trial with bioactive compounds from cruciferous vegetables. Towards this goal, the laboratory component of the project investigates molecular mechanisms that are modulated by SFN. Measurements are performed in prostate tissues, which are collected in a double-blinded intervention trial with SFN in men prior to radical prostatectomy. The tissue response to SFN is interrogated through measurements of oxidative stress, androgen catabolism, signal transduction and cell cycle arrest. In addition, novel mechanisms due to SFN exposure of normal and cancerous prostate epithelial cells are discovered in an organotypic cell culture systems.

Research Projects:

• Exposure of prostate epithelium and stroma to sulforaphane in an organotypic culture system
• Sulforaphane, androgen and estrogen metabolism
• Endpoint measurements of SFN exposure in clinical samples