Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often caused by smoking and is the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States, affecting more than 16 million people. There is no cure for this deadly disease, and current drugs do not slow its progression.
Shyam Biswal, an associate professor in the department of environmental health sciences and the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, in Baltimore said that Sulforaphane increases the activity of the NRF2 gene in human lung cells which protects cells from damage caused by toxins.
In COPD, there is critical loss of antioxidant systems, which protect against oxidative stress and inflammation. Brassica vegetables such as broccoli have been shown effective in restoring antioxidant gene activity.
The study is published Sept. 15 in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
