Dysregulation of innate immune responses can result in chronic inflammatory conditions. Glucocorticoids, the current frontline therapy, are effective immunosuppressive drugs but come with a trade-off of cumulative and serious side effects. Therefore, alternative drug options with improved safety profiles are urgently needed. Sulforaphane, a phytochemical derived from plants of the brassica family, is a potent inducer of phase II detoxification enzymes via nuclear factor-erythroid factor 2–related factor 2 (NRF2) signaling. Moreover, a growing body of evidence suggests additional diverse anti-inflammatory properties of sulforaphane through interactions with mediators of key signaling pathways and inflammatory cytokines. Multiple studies support a role for sulforaphane as a negative regulator of nuclear factor kappa-light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) activation and subsequent cytokine release, inflammasome activation and direct regulation of the activity of macrophage migration inhibitory factor. Significantly, studies have also highlighted potential steroid-sparing activity for sulforaphane, suggesting that it may have potential as an adjunctive therapy for some inflammatory conditions. This review discusses published research on sulforaphane, including proposed mechanisms of action, and poses questions for future studies that might help progress our understanding of the potential clinical applications of this intriguing molecule.

中文翻译：

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探索萝卜硫素的抗炎活性

先天免疫反应失调可能导致慢性炎症。糖皮质激素是目前的一线疗法，是有效的免疫抑制药物，但会带来累积性和严重的副作用。因此，迫切需要安全性更高的替代药物选择。萝卜硫素是一种源自芸苔科植物的植物化学物质，通过核因子-红细胞因子 2 相关因子 2 (NRF2) 信号传导，是 II 相解毒酶的有效诱导剂。此外，越来越多的证据表明萝卜硫素通过与关键信号通路介质和炎症细胞因子的相互作用而具有额外的多种抗炎特性。多项研究支持萝卜硫素作为核因子 kappa-活化 B 细胞轻链增强剂 (NF-κB) 激活和随后的细胞因子释放、炎症小体激活和直接调节巨噬细胞迁移抑制因子活性的负调节剂。值得注意的是，研究还强调了萝卜硫素潜在的类固醇节约活性，表明它可能具有作为某些炎症性疾病的辅助治疗的潜力。这篇综述讨论了已发表的萝卜硫素研究，包括拟议的作用机制，并提出了未来研究的问题，这些问题可能有助于加深我们对这种有趣分子的潜在临床应用的理解。