Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var. italica) Sprouts as the Potential Food Source for Bioactive Properties: A Comprehensive Study on In Vitro Disease Models

Abstract

Broccoli sprouts are an excellent source of health-promoting phytochemicals such as vitamins, glucosinolates, and phenolics. The study aimed to investigate in vitro antioxidant, antiproliferative, apoptotic, and antibacterial activities of broccoli sprouts. Five-day-old sprouts extracted by 70% ethanol showed significant antioxidant activities, analyzed to be 68.8 μmol Trolox equivalent (TE)/g dry weight by 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic (ABTS) assay, 91% scavenging by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, 1.81 absorbance by reducing power assay, and high phenolic contents by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Thereafter, sprout extract indicated considerable antiproliferative activities towards A549 (lung carcinoma cells), HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma cells), and Caco-2 (colorectal adenocarcinoma cells) using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, with IC50 values of 0.117, 0.168 and 0.189 mg/mL for 48 h, respectively. Furthermore, flow cytometry confirmed that Caco-2 cells underwent apoptosis by an increase of cell percentage in subG1 phase to 31.3%, and a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential to 19.3% after 48 h of treatment. Afterward, the extract exhibited notable antibacterial capacities against Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella Typhimurium with minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) values of 0.39 and 0.78 mg/mL, appropriately, along with abilities against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with an MIC value of 1.56 mg/mL. Thus, broccoli sprouts were confirmed as a potential food source for consumers’ selection and functional food industry.

Bioactive Compounds and Bioactivities of Brassica oleracea L. var. Italica Sprouts and Microgreens: An Updated Overview from a Nutraceutical Perspective

“…Thus, they could be applied for antioxidant therapeutics to reduce the risk of chronic diseases caused by ROS. Interestingly, although the antioxidant capacity of broccoli seedlings has been reported comprehensively, it is still attracting considerable attention from investigators and researchers at present [20,24,80]. ABTS, 2,2 -azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid decolonization activity; DPPH, 2,2-diphenyl -1-picrylhydrazy radical scavenging activity; FRAP, ferric reducing-antioxidant power; TEAC, trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity; ORAC, oxygen radical absorbance capacity; POD, peroxidase activity; CAT, catalase activity; SOD, superoxide dismutase activity; GPX, glutathione peroxidase activity; CHEL, metal chelating activity; LPO, inhibition of lipid peroxidation; LOXI, inhibition of lipoxygenase; XOI, inhibition of xanthine oxidase; NQO1, NAD(P)H-quinone acceptor oxidoreductase 1; HO-1, heme oxygenase-1; MA/GC, malonaldehyde/gas chromatography.…”

“…Defects in the programmed cell death mechanism also make a key contribution to tumor pathogenesis [101]. Thus, most chemotherapeutic agents exert their cytotoxic activity against cancer cells, since they cause DNA damage and activate a complex signaling network resulting in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction [24]. Targeting the cell cycle phase and the checkpoint signaling pathway, which leads to the arrests at G1/S or G2/M phases, would provide a promising opportunity for cancer treatment.…”

“…Targeting the cell cycle phase and the checkpoint signaling pathway, which leads to the arrests at G1/S or G2/M phases, would provide a promising opportunity for cancer treatment. Besides, triggering cell apoptosis could be an effective strategy for potential chemotherapeutic agents [24,25,73,101]. To confirm the antiproliferative activity of broccoli sprouts and microgreens, several in vitro studies revealed the mechanism of cell death based on inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis ( Table 5).…”

“…Besides, mitochondrial changes might activate the intrinsic apoptotic pathway. The loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) leads to the activation of several proteins linked to apoptosis, such as caspase-9 and cytochrome c [24]. Hence, a few studies indicated the notable decrease in MMP levels of cancer cells after treatment by broccoli seedlings to prove the mechanism of programmed cell death [24,73].…”

“…There are a few reports that displayed the detrimental effect of broccoli sprouts on pathogenic bacteria. A study investigated broccoli sprouts with high levels of gallic acid, esculetin, ferulic acid, and myricetin have the antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens, including both Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative bacteria (Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli), with minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) values from 390 to 1560 µg/mL [24]. This study revealed that the Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to broccoli sprout extract than the Gram-negative bacteria, similar to the previously published results of other plant extracts [108,109].…”