Zhao Lingfeng, Li Jiahuan, Dang Yiping, Fisher David, Hien Nguyen Thi Thu, Musabaev Erkin, Pronyuk Khrystyna, Zhao Lei
Department of Infectious Diseases, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
Department of Vascular Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Mol Biol Rep. 2025 Feb 17;52(1):241. doi: 10.1007/s11033-025-10358-w.
Sulforaphane (SFN) is a phytochemical bioactive substance commonly found in cruciferous plants, such as broccoli and mustard. It has been reported to possess antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer and autophagy regulating properties. Recent studies have revealed that SFN regulates fat metabolism both in vivo and in vitro through various mechanisms, including alleviating endoplasmic reticulum stress, inhibiting inflammatory response and improving mitochondrial dysfunction, involving Nrf2/ARE, NF-κB, NLRP3 inflammasome, HDAC8-PGC1α axis and other signaling pathways. By curbing complications associated with abnormal fat metabolic diseases, SFN exhibits therapeutic effects on conditions like obesity, fatty liver disease, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes, etc., with minimal side effects. Therefore, it holds promise as a potential alternative treatment for lipid metabolism-related diseases. Although its extraction method has been matured, the thermal instability and preservation difficulties of SFN limit its clinical promotion. More effective and low-cost methods to improve the stability and production of SFN remain to be further studied. This paper reviews the physiological and biological activities of SFN, and summarizes the protective effects and molecular mechanisms of SFN in diseases related to abnormal lipid metabolism. Additionally, it proposes potential challenges, possible solutions and future research directions in the clinical application of SFN.
萝卜硫素（SFN）是一种常见于十字花科植物（如西兰花和芥菜）中的植物化学活性物质。据报道，它具有抗菌、抗炎、抗氧化、抗癌和自噬调节特性。最近的研究表明，SFN通过多种机制在体内和体外调节脂肪代谢，包括减轻内质网应激、抑制炎症反应和改善线粒体功能障碍，涉及Nrf2/ARE、NF-κB、NLRP3炎性小体、HDAC8-PGC1α轴等信号通路。通过抑制与脂肪代谢异常疾病相关的并发症，SFN对肥胖、脂肪肝疾病、动脉粥样硬化、2型糖尿病等病症具有治疗作用，且副作用极小。因此，它有望成为脂质代谢相关疾病的潜在替代治疗方法。尽管其提取方法已经成熟，但SFN的热不稳定性和保存困难限制了其临床推广。提高SFN稳定性和产量的更有效、低成本方法仍有待进一步研究。本文综述了SFN的生理和生物学活性，总结了SFN在脂质代谢异常相关疾病中的保护作用和分子机制。此外，还提出了SFN临床应用中的潜在挑战、可能的解决方案和未来的研究方向。
