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Sulforaphane

CompoundNrf2

Isothiocyanate from cruciferous vegetables. Activates Nrf2 pathway.

Precursor chain

Glucoraphanin
Broccoli sprouts (3-day), Raw broccoli, Kale, Cabbage
food
Released by chewing/crushing; activates myrosinase enzyme
Sulforaphane
target

Food sources

Broccoli
Broccoli SproutsStressed plant
50200 mg/100g
Brassica oleracea var. italica
Kale

Research citations

Broccoli sprouts: an exceptionally rich source of inducers of enzymes that protect against chemical carcinogens
Fahey JW et al. · PNAS · 1997
peer-reviewedDOI →
A major inducer of anticarcinogenic protective enzymes from broccoli: isolation and elucidation of structure
Zhang Y et al. · PNAS · 1992
peer-reviewedDOI →

Citations link to peer-reviewed publications. Virisource is not affiliated with any author or institution. Not medical advice.

Recent research mentioning Sulforaphane

  1. A natural product-hybridization approach toward anticancer drug discovery: synthesis and antitumor evaluation of CTBC6, designed from sulforaphane and magnolol.
    Tao C, Chen M, Liu B, Chen H, Ji F · Bioorg Chem · 2026-06-05pubmed
  2. The H(2)S donor sulforaphane inhibits NLRP(3) inflammasome activation by inducing mitochondrial autophagy and mitigating CBS-H(2)S axis damage in in-vitro and in-vivo models of Parkinson's disease.
    Xie W, Wu K, Zhang L, Feng X, Yang S · Bioorg Chem · 2026-06-01pubmed
  3. Retraction notice to "Sulforaphane protects brains against hypoxic-ischemic injury through induction of Nrf2-dependent phase 2 enzyme" [Brain Res. 1343 (2010) 178-185].
    Ping Z, Liu W, Kang Z, Cai J, Wang Q · Brain Res · 2026-05-01pubmed
  4. Sulforaphane prevents abdominal aortic aneurysm formation through the inhibition of phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells and inflammation via the activation of Nrf2.
    Huang Z, Tao Y, Liu C, Wang J, Deng C · Cell Signal · 2026-04-04pubmed

Continuously updated by the research discovery pipeline. New citations appear automatically within a day of publication.

How it works

Sulforaphane is a phytochemical within the isothiocyanate group of organosulfur compounds.

Source: Wikipedia

Chemistry

IUPAC name
1-isothiocyanato-4-methylsulfinylbutane
Formula
C6H11NOS2
PubChem
CID 5350

Source: PubChem (NIH, public domain)

Learn more

Wikipedia →PubChem CID 5350

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