Here's how Broccoli can exert a positive influence on drug efficacy

A new study has found that ingredients in Broccoli have positive influence on drug efficacy.

Researchers from ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich have found that certain foods can alter the activity of endogenous enzymes and thus influence the efficacy of drugs. For instance, the grapefruit has an adverse effect on a number of anti-arrhythmic and cholesterol-lowering drugs.

The researchers discovered that sulforaphane increases the concentration of a number of enzymes in the colon cancer cells, including those of an enzyme with the abbreviation AKR1C3.

Interestingly, sulforaphane does not have this effect in all cases: in colon cancer cells that already exhibit a significantly elevated concentration of AKR1C3 as a result of the cancer, the broccoli substance caused a further increase in the concentration of the enzyme.

They also used cell culture to investigate whether the broccoli ingredient increased the efficacy of PR-104A.

Shana Sturla, Professor at the Department of Health Sciences and Technology at ETH Zurich, who treated various types of colon cancer cells and intestinal cells from healthy subjects with this substance in the laboratory, said what's interesting with sulforaphane is that it occurs naturally in our food and is non-toxic in the concentrations we used.

The study is published in the journal of PLOS ONE.