Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Cancer chemopreventive activity of cruciferous vegetables (Brassicaceae family, such as broccoli and cabbage) is believed to be due to glucosinolates (GLs), their enzymatic derived products (i.e. isothiocyanates), flavonoids and other phenolic compounds. Most of these encouraging studies have been performed on compounds found in cruciferous vegetables from the Brassica species. It is thus of great importance to examine the pharmacological value of the products of "non-Brassica" GL-containing plants. Our research is focused on the studies of intact GLs, their hydrolysis products, flavonoids, alkaloids and other secondary metabolites from "non-Brassica" wild plants from the Brassicaceae family for potential cancer chemoprotection or antioxidant properties. The studies will be performed on two wild endemic plants of North America because such plants are a valuable source of new metabolites. The first one is toothwort which is a native forest plant found in eastern Canada and the United States; it is used for food and in traditional Native American medicine as a febrifuge. The second one, called spectacle pod, is an endemic annual plant found in Colorado, Utah, Arizona and northern Mexico, used by some Native Indian tribes as a dermatological aid and febrifuge. Once the structure elucidation of the isolated phytochemicals in toothwort roots and in spectacle pod fruits will be determined, in vitro bioassays will be performed to confirm the potential of the new molecules to act as cancer chemopreventive and antioxidant agents. Furthermore, we wish to extend our studies on a chemical screening of wild endemic crucifers from Canada especially from the Arctic area using a Liquid chromatograph-Mass spectrometer to probe for potential new cancer chemopreventive products and antioxidants. Identification and bioassay of the enzymatic hydrolysis products using myrosinase of the isolated GLs or thermal breakdown products could be investigated and show a potential in cancer chemoprevention. A fresh avenue to study these plants as nutraceuticals is possible as well as their potential to develop a lead compound of commercial interest to pharmaceutical and food companies.