WATERCRESS JUICE POWDER
Watercress supplementation in diet reduces lymphocyte DNA damage and alters blood antioxidant status in healthy adults.
: Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Feb;85(2):504-10
Watercress supplementation in diet reduces lymphocyte DNA damage and alters blood antioxidant status in healthy adults.
Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, Centre for Molecular Biosciences, University of Ulster, Coleraine, N Ireland, United Kingdom. c.gill@ulster.ac.uk
BACKGROUND: Cruciferous vegetable (CV) consumption is associated with a reduced risk of several cancers in epidemiologic studies. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of watercress (a CV) supplementation on biomarkers related to cancer risk in healthy adults. DESIGN: A single-blind, randomized, crossover study was conducted in 30 men and 30 women (30 smokers and 30 nonsmokers) with a mean age of 33 y (range: 19-55 y). The subjects were fed 85 g raw watercress daily for 8 wk in addition to their habitual diet. The effect of supplementation was measured on a range of endpoints, including DNA damage in lymphocytes (with the comet assay), activity of detoxifying enzymes (glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase) in erythrocytes, plasma antioxidants (retinol, ascorbic acid, alpha-tocopherol, lutein, and beta-carotene), plasma total antioxidant status with the use of the ferric reducing ability of plasma assay, and plasma lipid profile. RESULTS: Watercress supplementation (active compared with control phase) was associated with reductions in basal DNA damage (by 17%; P = 0.03), in basal plus oxidative purine DNA damage (by 23.9%; P = 0.002), and in basal DNA damage in response to ex vivo hydrogen peroxide challenge (by 9.4%; P = 0.07). Beneficial changes seen after watercress intervention were greater and more significant in smokers than in nonsmokers. Plasma lutein and beta-carotene increased significantly by 100% and 33% (P < 0.001), respectively, after watercress supplementation. CONCLUSION: The results support the theory that consumption of watercress can be linked to a reduced risk of cancer via decreased damage to DNA and possible modulation of antioxidant status by increasing carotenoid concentrations.
PMID: 17284750 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Identification of New, Odor-Active Thiocarbamates in Cress Extracts and Structure-Activity Studies on Synthesized Homologues
1: J Agric Food Chem. 2007 Mar 7;55(5):1932-8. Epub 2007 Feb 2.
Identification of new, odor-active thiocarbamates in cress extracts and structure-activity studies on synthesized homologues.
LCMBA, UMR CNRS 6001, Universite de Nice-Sophia Antipolis, Parc Valrose, F-06108 Nice Cedex 2, France.
New, odorant nitrogen- and sulfur-containing compounds are identified in cress extracts. Cress belongs to the botanical order Brassicales and produces glucosinolates, which are important precursors of nitrogen- and sulfur-containing compounds. Those compounds often present low perception thresholds and various olfactive notes and are thus of interest to the flavor and fragrance chemistry. When the study of organonitrogen and organosulfur compounds is undertaken, Brassicale extracts are one of the matrices of choice. Cress extracts were studied by analytical (GC-MS, GC-FPD) and chemical (fractionation) means to identify new interesting odorant compounds. Two compounds that have never been reported in cress extracts, containing both nitrogen and sulfur, were discovered: N-benzyl O-ethyl thiocarbamate and N-phenethyl O-ethyl thiocarbamate. These two molecules being of organoleptic interest, their homologues were synthesized and submitted to organoleptic tests (static and GC-sniffing). Their odors evolve from garlic and onion over green, mushroom- and cress-like to fresh, spearmint-like. This paper presents the origin, chemical synthesis, and organoleptic properties of a series of O-alkyl thiocarbamates.
PMID: 17269787 [PubMed - in process]
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Assessment of the anti-genotoxic, anti-proliferative, and anti-metastatic potential of crude watercress extract in human colon cancer cells.
1: Nutr Cancer. 2006;55(2):232-41.
Assessment of the anti-genotoxic, anti-proliferative, and anti-metastatic potential of crude watercress extract in human colon cancer cells.
Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health, Centre for Molecualr Biosciences, University of Ulster, Northern Ireland. la.boyd@ulster.ac.uk
Although it is known to be a rich source of the putative anti-cancer chemicals isothiocyanates, watercress has not been extensively studied for its cancer preventing properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential chemoprotective effects of crude watercress extract toward three important stages in the carcinogenic process, namely initiation, proliferation, and metastasis (invasion) using established in vitro models. HT29 cells were used to investigate the protective effects of the extract on DNA damage and the cell cycle. The extract was not genotoxic but inhibited DNA damage induced by two of the three genotoxins used, namely hydrogen peroxide and fecal water, indicating the potential to inhibit initiation. It also caused an accumulation of cells in the S phase of the cell cycle indicating (possible) cell cycle delay at this stage. The extract was shown to significantly inhibit invasion of HT115 cells through matrigel. Component analysis was also carried out in an attempt to determine the major phytochemicals present in both watercress leaves and the crude extract. In conclusion, the watercress extract proved to be significantly protective against the three stages of the carcinogenesis process investigated.
PMID: 17044779 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Broccoli and watercress suppress matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity and invasiveness of human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
1: Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2005 Dec 1;209(2):105-13. Epub 2005 Jun 13.
Broccoli and watercress suppress matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity and invasiveness of human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.
Department of Biochemistry, National University of Singapore, 8 Medical Drive, Singapore 117597, Singapore. bchpcr@nus.edu.sg
A high dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables has been associated with a reduction in numerous human pathologies particularly cancer. In the current study, we examined the inhibitory effects of broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) and watercress (Rorripa nasturtium aquaticum) extracts on 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced cancer cell invasion and matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity using human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Aberrant overexpression of matrix metalloproteinases, including metalloproteinase-9, is associated with increased invasive potential in cancer cell lines. Our results demonstrate that extracts of broccoli and Rorripa suppressed TPA-induced MMP-9 activity and invasiveness in a concentration dependent manner as determined by zymographic analysis. Furthermore, fractionation of individual extracts followed by liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy analysis (LC-MS) revealed that the inhibitory effects of each vegetable were associated with the presence of 4-methysulfinylbutyl (sulforaphane) and 7-methylsulphinylheptyl isothiocyanates. Taken together, our data indicate that isothiocyanates derived form broccoli and Rorripa inhibit metalloproteinase 9 activities and also suppress the invasive potential of human MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in vitro. The inhibitory effects observed in the current study may contribute to the suppression of carcinogenesis by diets high in cruciferous vegetables.
PMID: 15953625 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Ingestion of an isothiocyanate metabolite from cruciferous vegetables inhibits growth of human prostate cancer cell xenografts by apoptosis and cell cycle arrest
1: Carcinogenesis. 2004 Aug;25(8):1403-8. Epub 2004 Mar 11.
Ingestion of an isothiocyanate metabolite from cruciferous vegetables inhibits growth of human prostate cancer cell xenografts by apoptosis and cell cycle arrest.
- Chiao JW, Wu H, Ramaswamy G, Conaway CC, Chung FL, Wang L, Liu D.
Department of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA. jen-wei_chao@nymc.edu
Epidemiological surveys indicate that intake of cruciferous vegetables is inversely related to prostate cancer incidence, although the responsible dietary factors have not been identified. Our studies demonstrated that exposure of human prostate cancer cells in culture to the N-acetylcysteine (NAC) conjugate of phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC-NAC), the major metabolite of PEITC that is abundant in watercress, inhibited proliferation and tumorigenesis. The PEITC-NAC is known to mediate cytoprotection at initiation of carcinogenesis. The relevance of PEITC-NAC in diets on the growth of prostate tumor cells has been evaluated in immunodeficient mice with xenografted tumors of human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. The daily PEITC-NAC (8 micromol/g) supplemented diet group showed a significant reduction in tumor size in 100% of the mice during the 9-week treatment period. Tumor weight at autopsy was reduced by 50% compared with mice on the diet without PEITC-NAC (P = 0.05). Mitosis and in vivo 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine labeled proliferating cells were reduced in these tumors. The PEITC-NAC diet up-regulated the inhibitors of cyclin-dependent kinases p21WAF-1/Cip-1 and p27Kip1, and reduced the expression of cyclins D and E, indicating they were potential molecular targets. As a result, phosphorylated Rb was significantly decreased and the G1- to S-phase transition retarded. The treated tumors also showed a significant increase in apoptosis as determined by in situ end-labeling, and by poly ADP-ribose polymerase cleavage. This study demonstrates the first in vivo evidence of dietary PEITC-NAC inhibiting tumorigenesis of prostate cancer cells. PEITC-NAC may prevent initiation of carcinogenesis and modulate the post-initiation phase by targeting cell cycle regulators and apoptosis induction.
PMID: 15016658 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
