Sulforaphene: Formation, Stability, Separation, Purification, Determination and Biological Activities

Sulforaphene (SRP) is the main isothiocyanate produced by myrosinase hydrolysis of glucoraphanin from Cruciferae plants. This review discusses the latest results on the formation, content, and stability of SRP. SRP is unstable when the solution system contains amino-acids or solvents with hydroxyl groups. Different strategies to inhibit the SRP degradation and increase the hydrolysis yield have been discussed in detail. The separation, purification and SRP determination methods are described in the review. SRP has herbicidal, antimicrobial, antimutagenic, and metabolic activities, and especially an anticancer activity. These findings indicate that SRP can be considered as a prospective therapeutic agent for major human diseases. However, for possible medicinal SRP applications, there is an urgent demand for development of new strategies for purification methods and chemical synthesis maintaining SRP stability. In addition the precise mechanism of action of SRP should be thoroughly clarified.