The Role of Glucosinolates from Cruciferous Vegetables (Brassicaceae) in Gastrointestinal Cancers: From Prevention to Therapeutics

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is composed of rapidly renewing cells, which increase the likelihood of cancer. Colorectal cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed GI cancers and currently stands in second place regarding cancer-related mortality. Unfortunately, the treatment of GI is limited, and few developments have occurred in the field over the years. With this in mind, new therapeutic strategies involving biologically active phytocompounds are being evaluated as anti-cancer agents. Vegetables such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, and radish, all belonging to the Brassicaceae family, are high in dietary fibre, minerals, vitamins, carotenoids, polyphenols, and glucosinolates. The latter compound is a secondary metabolite characteristic of this family and, when biologically active, has demonstrated anti-cancer properties. This article reviews the literature regarding the potential of Cruciferous vegetables in the prevention and/or treatment of GI cancers and the relevance of appropriate compound formulations for improving the stability and bioaccessibility of the major Cruciferous compounds, with a particular focus on glucosinolates.

Seasonal Variation of the Microbial Quality of Local Vegetables in Giresun, the Northern Province of Turkey

Consumption of vegetables, having a significant place in nutrition of humankind, is increasing day by day as their health-improving effects have been better understood nowadays. For such vegetables, certain criteria such as organic production, season production, regional production etc. are taken into consideration. The objective of this study is to research about existence of Bacillus cereus and Salmonella spp. in the locally-grown vegetables offered in local bazaars. Parsley, lettuce, spinach, turnip, carrot, chard, Brussels sprouts and radish produced in the province of Giresun were used in the study. Bacillus cereus and Salmonella spp. analyses were carried out in line with International Organization for Standardization quality standards. Among 89 vegetable samples analyses, Salmonella spp. and B. cereus were not detected in all and 5 of the samples respectively (

Indoles Derived From Glucobrassicin: Cancer Chemoprevention by Indole-3-Carbinol and 3,3'-Diindolylmethane

Hydrolysis of glucobrassicin by plant or bacterial myrosinase produces multiple indoles predominantly indole-3-carbinol (I3C). I3C and its major in vivo product, 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM), are effective cancer chemopreventive agents in pre-clinical models and show promise in clinical trials. The pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of DIM have been studied in both rodents and humans and urinary DIM is a proposed biomarker of dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables. Recent clinical studies at Oregon State University show surprisingly robust metabolism of DIM in vivo with mono- and di-hydroxylation followed by conjugation with sulfate or glucuronic acid. DIM has multiple mechanisms of action, the most well-characterized is modulation of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signaling. In rainbow trout dose-dependent cancer chemoprevention by dietary I3C is achieved when given prior to or concurrent with aflatoxin B1, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, nitrosamines or direct acting carcinogens such as N-methyl-N'-nitro-nitrosoguanidine. Feeding pregnant mice I3C inhibits transplacental carcinogenesis. In humans much of the focus has been on chemoprevention of breast and prostate cancer. Alteration of cytochrome P450-dependent estrogen metabolism is hypothesized to be an important driver of DIM-dependent breast cancer prevention. The few studies done to date comparing glucobrassicin-rich crucifers such as Brussels sprouts with I3C/DIM supplements have shown the greater impact of the latter is due to dose. Daily ingestion of kg quantities of Brussels sprouts is required to produce in vivo levels of DIM achievable by supplementation. In clinical trials these supplement doses have elicited few if any adverse effects. Sulforaphane from glucoraphanin can act synergistically with glucobrassicin-derived DIM and this may lead to opportunities for combinatorial approaches (supplement and food-based) in the clinic.

Brussels sprouts seeds growing without mother plants transplanting in the conditions of the Moscow region

В течение 2019–2021 годов на опытно-производственной базе ФГБНУ ВНИИФ в Московской области (Одинцовский городской округ) выращивали растения капусты брюссельской сорта Геркулес 1342 для получения семян в беспересадочной культуре без применения химически синтезированных препаратов защиты растений и агрохимикатов. Беспересадочный способ позволил вырастить семена капусты брюссельской исключив основные, наиболее затратные и трудоемкие агротехнические мероприятия: отбор и уборка с поля маточных растений с корневой системой, перевозка в хранилище и хранение маточников при соблюдении режима хранения, зачистка маточников и весенняя подготовка к высадке, высадка маточников в открытый грунт. После высадки в поле и приживания маточных растений потери могут достигать 50%. В беспересадочной культуре сохранность семенных растений после перезимовки составляла 80%, а семенная продуктивность достигала 23 г с одного растения, при лабораторной всхожести – 98%, что значительно превосходит контрольный вариант – выращивание семян в пересадочной культуре. Растения, выращенные из семян, полученных в беспересадочной культуре, склонности к преждевременному цветению не проявляли и формировали нормальные, по морфологическим признакам, продуктивные растения. Семенные растения капусты брюссельской сорта Геркулес 1342 успешно переживали в открытом грунте без укрытия как малоснежную зиму 2020 года, так и зиму 2021 года с достаточно высоким снежным покровом – до 55 см. При этом растения имели незначительные повреждения не от мороза, а от мышей. В отличие от маточных растений, высаживаемых в открытый грунт, после зимнего хранения, маточные растения, выращенные в беспересадочной культуре, не имели повреждения точек роста вследствие солнечных ожогов. Таким образом сохранялось наиболее продуктивное первое цветение. During 2019–2021, Brussels sprouts of the Hercules 1342 cultivar were grown at the experimental production base of the FSBSI VNIIF in the Moscow region, Odintsovo District in order to obtain seeds in a non-planting culture without the use of chemically synthesized plant protection preparations and agrochemicals. The non-planting method made it possible to grow Brussels sprouts seeds by eliminating the main, most expensive and time-consuming agrotechnical measures: selection and cleaning of mother plants with a root system from the field, transportation to the storage and storage of mother plants while observing the storage regime, cleaning of mother plants and spring preparation for planting, planting in the open ground. After planting in the field and taking root of the mother plants, losses can reach 50%. In a seedless culture, the safety of seed plants after overwintering was 80%, and the seed productivity reached 23 grams per plant, with laboratory germination – 98%, which significantly exceeds the control variant: growing seeds in a transplant culture. Plants grown from seeds obtained in a non-planting culture did not show a tendency to premature flowering and formed normal ones. According to morphological characteristics, productive plants. Seed plants of Brussels sprouts of the Hercules 1342 cultivar successfully survived both the low – snow winter of 2020 and the winter of 2021 with a sufficiently high snow cover-up to 55 cm in the open ground without shelter. At the same time, the plants had minor damage not from frost, but from mice. Unlike the mother plants planted in the open ground, after winter storage, the mother plants grown in a non-planting culture did not have damage to the growth points due to sunburn. Thus, the most productive first flowering was preserved.

Separation and Determination of Chemopreventive Phytochemicals of Flavonoids from Brassicaceae Plants

The main aim of this study was to develop a method for the isolation and determination of polyphenols—in particular, flavonoids present in various morphological parts of plants belonging to the cabbage family (Brassicaceae). Therefore, a procedure consisting of maceration, acid hydrolysis and measurement of the total antioxidant capacity of plant extracts (using DPPH assay) was conducted. Qualitative analysis was performed employing thin-layer chromatography (TLC), which was presented to be a suitable methodology for the separation and determination of chemopreventive phytochemicals from plants belonging to the cabbage family. The study involved the analysis of 25 vegetal samples, including radish, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, canola, kohlrabi, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, red cabbage, pak choi and cauliflower. In addition, selected flavonoids content in free form and bonded to glycosides was determined by using an RP-UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method.

Phytosterols Deficiency in a Diet of Young People: Results of the Nutritional Assessment

Objectives Phytosterols are important biologically active components of the human diet, preventing dyslipidemia, and atherosclerosis and reduce the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular pathologies. This study was designed with two aims: (a) To assess the level of phytosterols intake; (b) To describe which food sources make the largest contribution to phytosterols intake. Methods The level of consumed phytosterols and their main food sources were assessed using the 24-hour recall method using the database the national Institute of health and social security of Finland (Fineli). A survey was conducted among 125 students aged 17 to 29 years. The average age of students was 22.38 ± 1.73 years, and included 94 females and 31 males. Results None of the respondents reached the recommended phytosterols level (300 mg/day), although 97.6% of them included various sources of phytosterols in a diet. Only for 8.8% of participants intake of phytosterols was more than half the recommended level (153.54–249.96 mg/day). The main sources of phytosterols in this group were: onions – 72.7% of respondents included it's in their diet, sunflower oil and fresh tomatoes – 63.6%, potatoes – 54.5%, fresh cucumbers – 45.4%, apples and white cabbage 36.3%, tomato paste 27.2%, cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, parsley, beets – 18.8%, corn and olive oils, sauerkraut, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beans, avocado, kiwi – 9.09%. For 88.8% of participants, dietary phytosterols intake was less than half the recommended level (2.13–146.39 mg/day). In this group, the main sources of phytosterols were: sunflower oil – 52.5%, potatoes – 46.8%, onions – 43.2%, fresh tomatoes – 36.9%, fresh cucumbers – 34.2%, fresh apples – 29.7%, bananas – 20.7%, white cabbage and sauerkraut – 17.1%, sweet red pepper – 13.5%, fresh and canned peas – 11.7%, parsley and dill – 10.8%, Chinese cabbage, beets and olive oil – 8.1%, oranges, green onions and beans – 5.4%. The students did not include phytosterols-rich foods in their diet: green grapes, black and red currants, blueberries, cranberries, and raspberries. Conclusions Obviously, in order to achieve the optimal level of phytosterols in the diet, it is not enough to use their sources with low and medium phytosterols content. It is necessary to include in the diet either foods enriched with them, or selectively foods with their high content. Funding Sources No funding.

The Evolutionary History of Wild, Domesticated, and Feral Brassica oleracea (Brassicaceae)

Understanding the evolutionary history of crops, including identifying wild relatives, helps to provide insight for designing new approaches in crop breeding efforts. Cultivated Brassica oleracea has intrigued researchers for centuries due to its wide diversity in forms, which include cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, and Brussels sprouts. Yet, the evolutionary history of this species remains understudied. With such different vegetables produced from a single species, B. oleracea is a model organism for understanding the power of artificial selection. Persistent challenges in the study of B. oleracea include conflicting hypotheses regarding domestication and the identity of the closest living wild relative. Using a diversity panel of 224 accessions, which represents 14 different B. oleracea crop types and nine potential wild progenitor species, we integrate phylogenetic and population genetic techniques with ecological niche modeling, archaeological, and literary evidence to examine relationships among cultivars and wild relatives to clarify the origin of this horticulturally important species. Our analyses point to the Aegean endemic B. cretica as the closest living relative of cultivated B. oleracea, supporting an origin of cultivation in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Additionally, we identify several feral lineages, suggesting that cultivated plants of this species are able to revert to a wild-like state with relative ease. By expanding our understanding of the evolutionary history in B. oleracea, these results contribute to a growing body of knowledge on crop domestication that will facilitate continued breeding efforts including adaptation to changing environmental conditions.

Brevicoryne brassicae (cabbage aphid).

Crops which can suffer severe attack by B. brassicae include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, radish, swede and mustard. Kale, oilseed rape and Brussels sprouts are usually only lightly infested, while turnips appear immune. Large colonies feed on the undersides of young leaves, draining plant nutritional resources, and on the flower heads of seed crops, reducing the setting of seed (Blackman and Eastop, 2000). On cabbage in Germany, numbers of aphids on the plants peaked in June-July and again in September-October. The yield was most affected by attack in the second population peak. Control thresholds for fresh consumption were 20% plants attacked with more than 10 apterae/plant, or 10% attacked plants when one or more plants had more than 100 aphids (Hildenhagen and Hommes, 1997).B. brassicae was very numerous on yellow mustard (Sinapis alba) in a study in Poland, in which early infestations (at the bud development stage) prevented stalk development and caused premature plant death; while later infestations (at the peak or end of blooming) caused high yield reductions (Hurej and Preiss, 1997). Among several aphids infesting brassica crops, B. brassicae was generally the most prevalent during the growing season (e.g. Trumble, 1982; Raworth, 1984; Nematollahi et al., 2014a). It occurred primarily on the highest and youngest leaves and stems, with the highest aphid density recorded at the head formation stage on broccoli and the stem elongation stage on oilseed rape (Trumble, 1982; Nematollahi et al., 2014a). B. brassicae significantly preferred the upper parts (upper 10-15 cm of the stem) of oilseed rape plants to the lower parts (the rest of the stem) (Nematollahi et al., 2014a).B. brassicae can sometimes reduce both crop yield and quality of spring and winter oilseed rape in Europe. In field experiments in the UK, yield responses to insecticide treatment tended to be larger in spring-sown than in winter-sown oilseed rape, mainly because it became more heavily infested at an early growth stage. B. brassicae is a sporadic oilseed rape pest, however, that will only rarely reach threshold numbers for control (Ellis et al., 1999). Daebeler and Hinz (1980) presented an analysis of yield loss in winter rape in Germany. They showed that by the time crops become heavily infested, serious injury will already have occurred, so control measures need to be taken early. Experimental studies showed that B. brassicae could reduce fresh and dry weight, leaf area and concentration of amino acid in aphid-infested plants (van Emden, 1990). B. brassicae hampers photosynthesis in a range of oilseed brassicas (Arjad Hussain et al., 2014; Razaq et al., 2014). In regions with warm climates, parthenogenetic reproduction can occur throughout the year. Considerable damage can occur to vegetables, particularly those grown for seed. In the Middle East, alatae migrate to cruciferous vegetable crops in autumn-early winter, migrating to wild Cruciferae in spring where they pass the summer. In Nigeria, cabbages with high uncontrolled infestations usually suffer stunted growth, plant death and low yields (Parh et al., 1987). In Himachal Pradesh, India, the avoidable yield losses caused by an aphid complex (B. brassicae, Lipaphis erysimi and Myzus persicae) to three different cruciferous oilseed crops, Brassica campestris var. toria, B. campestris var. sarson and B. juncea, were 67.61, 62.51 and 50.00%, respectively. Most of the losses occurred when the infestation was prevalent during the flowering stage. These losses were checked by insecticide applications at the initiation of flowering (Sharma and Kashyap, 1998). Late-season insect infestation of Brassica napus, B. rapa, B. juncea and Sinapis alba was studied in Idaho, USA. Aphid colonization (primarily B. brassicae) was observed on all these plant species, but infestation on S. alba and B. rapa occurred too late to have a major effect on seed yield. Seed oil content of rape species was significantly reduced by insect damage (B. brassicae, along with Ceutorhynchus assimilis and Plutella xylostella), although oil quality (indicated by fatty acid profile) was not affected. Uncontrolled insect infestation reduced seed yield of rape species by 37 and 32% in B. napus and B. rapa, respectively (Brown et al., 1999). B. brassicae is a vector of about 20 plant viruses, including Turnip mosaic virus (as cabbage black ringspot, cabbage ring necrosis and radish mosaic) and Cauliflower mosaic virus (Blackman and Eastop, 2000).

Nutrient Supplementation Configures the Bioactive Profile and Production Characteristics of Three Brassica L. Microgreens Species Grown in Peat-Based Media

Brassica L. microgreens are a fresh microscale vegetable crop of high antioxidant value and naturally dense in nutrients without the intervention of biofortification or genetic engineering. A climate chamber experiment on peat-based substrate was set up to test microgreens growth and accumulation of secondary metabolites in response to nutrient supplementation. Microgreens mineral content was analyzed through ion chromatography and total ascorbic acid through UV-Vis spectrophotometry, while carotenoids and phenolic acids were quantified by HPLC-DAD and UHPLC-HRMS, respectively. Brussels sprouts and cabbage yield was only reduced by 10%, while nitrate was reduced by 99% in the absence of nutrient supplementation. Rocket yield was prominently reduced by 47%, with a corresponding nitrate reduction of 118%. Brussels sprouts secondary metabolites were not improved by the absence of nutrient supplementation, whereas cabbage microgreens demonstrated a 30% increase in total ascorbic acid and a 12% increase in total anthocyanins. As for rocket, the absence of nutrient supplementation elicited an extensive increase in secondary metabolites, such as lutein (110%), β-carotene (30%), total ascorbic acid (58%) and total anthocyanins (20%), but caused a decrease in total phenolic acids. It is hereby demonstrated that growing microgreens on a commercial peat-based substrate without nutrient supplementation can be feasible for certain species. Moreover, it might elicit a species-dependent spike in bioactive secondary metabolites.

RUBISCO PROTEIN PRODUCTION – LCA APPROACH

The objective of this paper was to assess the environmental performance of the system of RuBisCo protein extraction and isolation from sugar beet leaves. Life cycle assessment (LCA) calculations have been completed to identify and quantify the environmental impacts from a cradle-to-cradle perspective covering seven subsystems: milling and extraction, heat treatment, centrifugation, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, chromatography and spray drying. In this paper, six environmental impact categories were analyzed: global warming potential, ozone layer depletion, energy demand, eutrophication potential, acidification potential, and land use. When RuBisCo protein extraction and isolation from different raw materials are compared, the only crop that has a lower environmental impact than sugar beet leaves is alfalfa, while the higher environmental impact has yellow mustard, ryegrass (mixture), Italian ryegrass, Brussels sprouts, English ryegrass, carrot leaves, leaf radish, and chicory. The comparison of environmental impact categories of different protein concentrates indicated that protein powder containing RuBisCo affected the environment less than egg protein concentrate. Direct comparison to other highly functional plant proteins was not possible as these are not in the market or have no LCA data available. RuBisCo was more environmentally impacting than regular soy protein. Our results for RuBisCo were in accordance with the low end of the range of results for microalgae, which is representing Chlorella HTF (heterotrophic fermenter), for most of the analyzed impact categories. This study found that the largest contributor to the environmental profile of the entire system of RuBisCo protein extraction and isolation from sugar beet leaves is the usage of electricity, while mitigation options for optimization of environmental impacts rely on the energy pinch approach for spray drying.