Research Progress of Sulforaphane Against Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Broccoli is a vegetable consumed for its tender flowering stems and buds. It is native to the Mediterranean coast, introduced to China in the 19th century, and has a cultivation history of approximately 40 years. As an important high-quality specialty vegetable in China, broccoli has high nutritional value and broad market prospects. Through the joint efforts of domestic scientific research and breeding institutions such as the Institute of Vegetables and Flowers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and competitive enterprises, the self-sufficiency rate of broccoli seeds in China has increased to more than 30%, achieving remarkable results. In addition to fresh consumption, China’s broccoli processing industry is accelerating its transformation from primary processing (e.g., quick-frozen and fresh-keeping products, accounting for about 80% of total processing volume) to intensive processing. By extracting functional components such as sulforaphane and isothiocyanates, it develops high value-added health foods, solid beverages, and dietary nutritional products, significantly improving the comprehensive industrial benefits. Among them, purified sulforaphane can reach a market price of hundreds of thousands of yuan per kilogram or even higher due to differences in purity.
Sulforaphane (SFN) is a sulfur-containing organic compound of the isothiocyanate class, widely found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kale. It is produced when glucosinolates in plant cells come into contact with myrosinase under suitable pH conditions. Studies have shown that glucoraphanin, the precursor of sulforaphane, is most abundant in broccoli seeds, followed by sprouts and florets. Sulforaphane possesses various biological activities including antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, neuroprotective, and anti-diabetic effects, and has potential preventive effects on cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative diseases. Studies indicate that sulforaphane in the form of broccoli sprout extract has solid clinical evidence in the prevention and recurrence intervention of prostate cancer. Multiple clinical studies have shown that recurrent prostate cancer patients taking 60 mg of sulforaphane daily have significantly lower prostate-specific antigen levels than those not taking it.
Results from a human clinical trial (Registration No.: KY-2021-0266) suggest that sulforaphane (SFN) may serve as a potential immune sensitizer, providing a new intervention strategy and therapeutic option for the rehabilitation of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Notably, the sulforaphane used in this study was extracted from broccoli. The researchers attempted to activate anti-tumor immune responses through a combined therapy strategy to enhance the synergistic effect of anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy. Existing evidence demonstrates that isothiocyanates from cruciferous vegetables exhibit excellent cancer-preventive activity. As the most extensively studied isothiocyanate, sulforaphane has been fully confirmed for its cancer-preventive and tumor-suppressive effects since its successful purification in 1992. Numerous studies have shown its ability to directly kill tumor cells. This clinical trial aimed to investigate whether sulforaphane can enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy combined with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. Based on previous research, the team further verified the immunomodulatory function of sulforaphane and confirmed its synergistic effect when combined with chemotherapy and immunotherapy, suggesting that sulforaphane, as a potential immune sensitizer, is expected to improve the clinical outcomes of non-small cell lung cancer.
Figure 1 Sulforaphane can enhance the immune response of anti-tumor PD-1 antibodies in tumor-bearing mouse models.
Figure 2 Sulforaphane can improve the anti-tumor efficacy of anti-PD-1 antibody combined with chemotherapy in patients.
Summary and Outlook
This study provides preliminary evidence that sulforaphane, as a neoadjuvant therapeutic agent, enhances the sensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer to PD-1 blockade therapy and achieves favorable tumor control, and its favorable safety also supports its clinical application. However, this study has certain limitations, such as a fixed treatment cycle of sulforaphane and an unclear mechanism of pseudoprogression in the experimental group, which need to be further explored in subsequent studies to lay a solid foundation for more effective and individualized immunotherapy clinical applications in non-small cell lung cancer.
References: J. Li, J. Liu, Z. Wang, et al. Sulforaphane Synergizes With PD-1 Blockade Through Activating CD8+ T Cells in Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer: Preclinical and Clinical Investigations[J]. MedComm 7, no. 4 (2026): e70688.
