According to a study published in the journal ACS Central Science, a natural compound found in broccoli can possibly help dissolve blood clots and prevent strokes.

Researchers from the Heart Research Institute (HRI) in Australia wrote, “sulforaphane, found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, offers selective, irreversible antiplatelet effects, synergizing with vascular recanalization therapies without increasing bleeding risks.”

“This study explores the irreversible engagement of 23 electrophilic phytochemicals with platelets, unveiling the unique antiplatelet selectivity of sulforaphane (SFN). SFN impairs platelet responses to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and a thromboxane A2 receptor agonist while not affecting thrombin and collagen-related peptide activation,” the researchers wrote.

“It also substantially reduces platelet thrombus formation under arterial flow conditions. Using an alkyne-integrated probe, protein disulfide isomerase A6 (PDIA6) was identified as a rapid kinetic responder to SFN. Mechanistic profiling studies revealed SFN’s nuanced modulation of PDIA6 activity and substrate specificity. In an electrolytic injury model of thrombosis, SFN enhanced the thrombolytic activity of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) without increasing blood loss,” they continued.

“Our results serve as a catalyst for further investigations into the preventive and therapeutic mechanisms of dietary antiplatelets, aiming to enhance the clot-busting power of rtPA, currently the only approved therapeutic for stroke recanalization that has significant limitations,” the researchers noted.

From The Epoch Times:

HRI researchers discovered that the natural chemical in broccoli, sulforaphane, may improve the performance of tPA and could lead to newer, safer, and more effective medications for acute stroke.

“We know eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and foods low in saturated fats can help prevent heart disease and stroke, but can some of these same vegetables treat and reverse stroke? I think it can and my team is working to prove it at the molecular level,” Mr. Liu said in the 2022 HRI interview.

In an Australian radio interview, Mr. Liu said his team began investigating broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables three years ago by screening a library of over 100 natural products from healthy diets to find something with properties that would prevent blood clots in the brain.

Mr. Liu’s background included finding ways to prevent cancer with a healthy diet, but when he transitioned into his current role at the HRI, he decided to study sulforaphane derived from cruciferous vegetables and how it could potentially treat blood clots in the circulatory system.

According to Mr. Liu, sulforaphane isn’t limited to broccoli. In the radio interview, he said that cruciferous vegetables produce sulforaphane as a protective mechanism against insects or other types of destruction.

For instance, an intact piece of broccoli doesn’t contain sulforaphane. It isn’t until it’s chopped or chewed that it undergoes a chemical reaction that produces sulforaphane. Sulforaphane’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are designed to protect the plant, but when ingested by humans, studies have found sulforaphane has numerous anti-cancer and health-protective qualities.

“In this study, we combined a streamlined cell preparation method with the antiplatelet phenotyping of electrophilic phytochemicals to uncover previously unknown agonist selectivity profiles. These profiles are associated with the impact of electrophilic protein modifications induced by these phytochemicals, thereby revealing new insights into their mode of action. In particular, by combining chemoproteomics, molecular simulation, and mass spectrometry analysis, we demonstrated that SFN serves as a novel chemotype for targeting PDIA6 in platelets, with mapping of the covalent modification sites revealing unparalleled levels of PDI isoform selectivity,” the researchers wrote in their conclusion.

“Through interactome coprecipitation in conjunction with bioinformatic analysis, we elucidated the impact of SFN on PDIA6’s substrate preference, which aligns with the observed in vitro and in vivo antiplatelet phenotypes. Importantly, SFN displayed important characteristics of prophylactic agents and was able to improve the clot-busting performance of rtPA in an in vivo electrolytic injury model of thrombosis. These results provide new insights into the studies of the molecular pharmacology of naturally occurring isothiocyanates as novel antithrombotic leads, particularly in combination with approved therapies,” they continued.

“Our findings together with previous reports on SFN’s roles in suppressing neuroinflammation and oxidative stress provide the impetus to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying dietary antiplatelets with a view to discovering novel preventive and therapeutic mechanisms for thrombosis and strokes without significant bleeding risks,” the researchers noted.

Read the full study at ACS Central Science. 

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