[1] The strong and pungent taste which ITCs harbor supposedly drives herbivores away, whereas the biocidal activity in microorganisms protects ABT263 the plant from intrusion and infection by microorganisms attempting to enter through the wound. In fact, the chemical nature of ITCs renders these compounds usually volatile and highly reactive in most

cell types. ITCs consist of the reactive group –N=C=S linked to an R moiety that dictates potency and physiochemical properties. The reactive group binds spontaneously and conjugates with any accessible sulfhydryl group, making the abundant redox mediator glutathione (GSH) and proteins with accessible unconjugated cysteine residues likely target for ITCs to antagonize with after entering a cell.[2, 3] Interestingly, ITCs are chemopreventive in humans against several types of cancer including lung, colon, bladder, and stomach shown through epidemiological studies.[4-7] This chemopreventive property of ITCs has given rise to numerous in vitro experiments with different types of cancer cell types as well as in vivo studies with mice and Obeticholic Acid research buy rats in order to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.[8, 9] However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are still not fully understood. Among ITCs, the variants with an aromatic

side group have proven to be the most potent in inhibiting cell proliferation in cancer cells.[10-12] Phenethyl ITC (PEITC; Fig. 1a) derives from watercress and turnips, and is recognized as a potent inducer of apoptosis in cancer cells in vitro and in vivo.[9] Although several cellular effects have been recognized and suggested as important in chemoprevention,[9, 13] it is generally accepted that induction of cell cycle arrest Edoxaban and ultimately apoptosis in cancer cells are key elements in cancer cell growth inhibition. Gastric

cancer is the 2nd leading cancer cause of death[14] and 4th most common cancer worldwide.[15] It is most prevalent in Japan, China, and Korea; and in Japan, it reaches approximately 100 per 100 000 people annually.[16] Studies involving PEITC or other ITCs and gastric cancer are limited, but Yang and his colleagues previously reported a PEITC-induced suppression of migration and invasion of gastric cancer cell line AGS by suppressing mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and NFκB signal pathways.[17] Further, the broccoli-derived ITC sulforaphane (SFN) was shown to be bactericidal against Helicobacter pylori, a gastric cancer-related bacterium, and that SFN could eliminate this bacterium from a gastric cancer cell line.[18] The same group also showed the potential of SFN to prevent benzo[a]pyrene-induced stomach cancer in mice.[18] In order to shed light on our understanding of the chemopreventive effect by ITCs and PEITC in relation to gastric cancer, the present study aimed at further elucidating the cellular effects induced by PEITC in gastric cancer cells.