glucoraphanin and Central-Nervous-System-Diseases

We demonstrate that the spontaneously hypertensive rat stroke-prone rat (SHRsp) undergoes premature aging of the CNS compared to the related normotensive Wistar Kyoto rat (WKY) as demonstrated by presence of activated microglia/macrophages, increased expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and increased astrogliosis. We tested the hypothesis that dietary intake of phase 2 protein inducers would decrease these aging-associated degenerative changes. The source of dietary phase 2 protein inducers was dried broccoli sprouts of a cultivar containing high amounts of glucoraphanin that gives rise to phase 2 protein-inducing isothiocyanate sulforaphane. This diet significantly decreased the aging-related degenerative changes in the SHRsp CNS. We conclude that modest changes in diet may have profound effects on the aging CNS.

Topics: Aging; Animals; Astrocytes; Biomarkers; Blotting, Western; Brain; Brain Chemistry; Brassica; Central Nervous System Diseases; Diet; Glucose; Glucosinolates; Imidoesters; Immunohistochemistry; Inflammation; Macrophages; Microglia; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; Oximes; Protein Biosynthesis; Rats; Rats, Inbred SHR; Rats, Inbred WKY; Spinal Cord; Sulfoxides