Product Name:  Sulforaphane

Synonyms：Sulforafan; D,L-Sulforaphane; R,S-Sulforaphane

CAS:  4478-93-7

Molecular Formula:  C6H11NOS2

Molecular Weight:  177.29

Structure:  

Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L.var) is a brassica genus plant，which is a member of the Brassicaceae family. It is well-known that broccoli is a kind of healthy vegetables with anti-cancer effect. Scientific researches showed that this is because of the 'natural anti-cancer factor' - sulforaphane, which is the strongest anti-cancer bioactive component in all natural anti-cancer fruits and vegetables so far. 

Sulforaphane (SFN) does not exist intact in vegetables but is formed from glucoraphanin after hydrolysis with myrosinase or human intestinal enzymes. Glucoraphanin is found in many Brassicaceae plants, but is most abundant in broccoli seeds. In 1997, Professor Talalay's research team found that broccoli sprouts contained high level of sulforaphane, at least 20 times higher than mature broccoli. If you want to get sulforaphane you have two choices: (1) Getting glucoraphanin, whcih hydrolyzed into sulforaphane under the action of myrosinase or human intestinal enzymes; (2) Eating broccoli sprout which is rich in sulforaphane.

Sulforaphane (derived from its cognate glucosinolates glucoraphanin) is among the most extensively studied derivatives of isothiocyanates and the principal bioactive component in broccoli or broccoli sprouts, its molecular formula is C6H11NOS2 and  the relative molecular weight is 177.29. In 1992, Professor Paul Talalay from Hopkins University extracted sulforaphane from broccoli and confirmed that sulforaphane was a inducer of Ⅱ phase detoxification enzymes, provided scientific evidence of broccoli anticancer. Ⅱ phase detoxification enzymes include glutathione S-transferase and quinone reductase, which can develop resistance to many carcinogens to play an anticancer role. At the same time, sulforaphane is a common antioxidant, which is the plant active substance with the best anti-cancer effect found in fruits and vegetables.

Sulforaphane exists in broccoli in the form of its precursor, glucoraphanin, which is a glucosinolate with the molecular formula C12H23NO10S3 and it's relative molecular weight is 437.51. The content of glucoraphanin in broccoli seeds is the most abundant, it can be converted to sulforaphane by hydrolysis of myrosinase or intestinal flora.