Cytotoxic and Antitumor Activity of Sulforaphane: The Role of Reactive Oxygen Species

Figure 1

Schematic representation of the mitochondrial ROS formation elicited by sulforaphane. Sulforaphane (SFR) inhibits mitochondrial respiratory chain at the level of Complex III in an antimycin-like fashion. ROS initiate a cascade of toxic events culminating in apoptosis, necrosis, and, although still to be fully demonstrated, autophagy. Arrows indicate the toxicologically relevant events elicited by ROS. CytC: cytochrome C leakage; mtDNA: mitochondrial DNA; PTP: permeability transition pore opening.