The effects on metabolism of glucosinolates and theirs hydrolysis products

Abstract

Glucosinolates in the nutrition are very important molecules and widely found in Brassicaceae species (brussels sprouts, Dijon mustard, broccoli, cress etc.). Depending on the amount of these kinds of vegetables consumed by humans and animals, some positive or negative metabolic effects of this molecule may occur. Chemically GLS’s are the anticarsinogenic molecules that increase the antioxidan effect, the antibiotic activity and induced the phase-II detoxification enzymes. However, there are the studies shown that I3C, a member of the hydrolysis products of GLS’s, stimulated and inhibited the carsinogenesis. While the low doses of GLS's may be the antiostrogenic effect, the high doses can an estrogen agonist. Due to the lack of scientific data regarding the dose of the molecule that induces favorable and unfavorable effects on the target tissue, our knowledge of this molecule on induction of potential carcinogenic/anticarcinogenic, estrogenic/antiestrogenic, antibiotic effects as well as on regulation of energy balance remains largely insufficient. They constitute the liver, thyroid, rectum abnormalities, and deterioration in the development and reproductive performance. Especially the biological effects, that defines the need to study GLS bioavailability, critically assess the current state of the art on GLS bioavailability, indicate human and animal data on important individual compounds and structural groups, and give recommendations for future research.