Comparative effects of glucosinolate-derived isothiocyanates from Camelina sativa seeds and sulforaphane on A549 lung cancer cells

Plant-derived compounds, including isothiocyanates (ITCs), represent important sources of chemo-preventive and anticancer agents. ITCs naturally originate from glucosinolates (GLSs), the major phytochemicals in the plant family of Brassicaceae, a widely cultivated and economically important plant family. In this study, the well-known sulforaphane ITC (SFN) was compared with the ITC derived from the 10-(methylsulfinyl) decylglucosinolate, the most abundant GLS of Camelina sativa. In the experimental condition tested, SFN inhibits the viability of the lung cancer A549 cell line in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. Under the same experimental conditions, camelina ITC showed a higher selective cytotoxic activity compared to SFN, as well as higher in vitro antioxidant activity, highlighting it as a promising plant-derived molecule with protective effects against carcinogenesis.