Benzyl isothiocyanate

Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC, Benzoylthiocarbimide, Isothiocyanic Acid Benzoyl Ester) is an isothiocyanate originally found in cruciferous vegetables that exhibits immunomodulatory, anti-parasitic, antibiotic, antioxidative, anti-atherosclerotic, anti-angiogenic, anti-metastatic, anticancer chemotherapeutic, and chemopreventive activities.

Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) is highly effective in suppressing cancer initiation by modulating carcinogen-activating (phase I) and -detoxifying (phase II) enzymes during initiation events of tumor growth. It affects cell-cycle regulation, induction of apoptotic and autophagy events, tumor invasion and metastasis, angiogenesis, and EMT, and it can eliminate CSCs[1]. BITC treatment would cause permanent damage to the cells[2].

BITC inhibits chemically induced cancer, oncogenic-driven tumor formation, and human tumor xenografts in rodent cancer models. It decreases pulmonary metastasis multiplicity and volume of 4T1 murine mammary carcinoma cells injected into the inguinal mammary fat pads of syngeneic female BALB/c mice. Pharmacokinetic studies suggest that low μmol/L concentrations of BITC are sufficient for tumor inhibitory activities. BITC accumulates rapidly in cancer cells and is conjugated with intracellular thiols, particularly glutathione (GSH) and cysteine[1]. BITC is an inhibitor of B[a]P-induced lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice[3].

[1] Rao CV. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2013, 6(8):760-3. [2] Zhang R, et al. J Nutr. 2006, 136(11):2728-34. [3] Sticha KR, et al. Carcinogenesis. 2000, 21(9):1711-9.