Table 4.
Odor descriptions and health effects of major GHPs found in important Brassicaceae species.
| GHP | GSLa | Odor description | Beneficial/detrimental effects on human healthb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benzyl ITC | glucotropaeolin (11) | chemical, pungent, green, rotten grass, cooked, watercress-like (Masuda et al., 1996; Bell et al., 2021) | anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anti-obesity, and neuroprotective activity and prevention of multiple sclerosis (Wu et al., 2021b; Sundaram et al., 2022) |
| 3-Butenyl ITC | gluconapin (12) | green, bitter, pungent, aromatic, wasabi-like, vegetable-like, cabbage-like (Masuda et al., 1996; Bell et al., 2018, 2021) | anticarcinogenic activity (Sundaram et al., 2022) antimicrobial activity (Jang et al., 2010) prevention of postprandial hypertriglyceridemia (Washida et al., 2010) |
| 4-Hydroxybenzyl ITC | sinalbin (23) | pungent (Bell et al., 2018) | anticarcinogenic activity (Monu et al., 2014; Jurkowska et al., 2018) |
| 5-vinyloxazolidine-2-thiones (goitrins)c | progoitrin (24R) and epiprogoitrin (24S) | strongly bitter (Bell et al., 2018) | goitrogenic effect and inhibition of thyroid hormone production∗ (Stoewsand, 1995; Felker et al., 2016) antiviral activity (Niexing et al., 2020) |
| Indole-3-carbinol | glucobrassicin (43) | unpleasant (Bell et al., 2018) | cardioprotective and neuroprotective activity (Kamal et al., 2022) anticarcinogenic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral (including COVID-19) and anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, antidiabetic, cardioprotective activity (Singh et al., 2021; Centofanti et al., 2022) |
| 4-(Methylsulfinyl)butyl ITC (sulforaphane) |
glucoraphanin (64) | no taste or flavor? (Bell et al., 2021) | anticarcinogenic activity (at least 17 types of cancer) (Kaiser et al., 2021) antimicrobial, antiangiogenic, antioxidant and cardioprotective activity (Mahn and Castillo, 2021; Mangla et al., 2021; Kamal et al., 2022) antiviral activity (including COVID-19) (Mahn and Castillo, 2021; Ordonez et al., 2022) anti-inflammatory activity (Wei et al., 2022) antidiabetic activity (Mangla et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2022a) Recovery and prevention of muscle atrophy (Vargas-Mendoza et al., 2022) Prevention of alcohol intolerance (Mahn and Castillo, 2021) Neuroprotective activity (Uddin et al., 2020) |
| 7-(Methylsulfinyl)heptyl ITC | glucoibarin (66) | unknown | anticarcinogenic activity (DeVito et al., 2000; Rose et al., 2005a) |
| 6-(Methylsulfinyl)hexyl ITC (hesperin) |
glucohesperin (67) | unknown | anticarcinogenic activity (Trio et al., 2017) anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activity (Jaafaru et al., 2018) antiallergic activity (Yamada-Kato et al., 2012) |
| 8-(Methylsulfinyl)octyl ITC (hirsutin) |
glucohirsutin (69) | unknown | anti-inflammatory activity (DeVito et al., 2000; Rose et al., 2005b) |
| 5-(Methylsulfinyl)pentyl ITC (alyssin) |
glucoalyssin (72) | unknown | anticarcinogenic activity (Milczarek et al., 2018; Pocasap et al., 2019) antimicrobial activity (Nowicki et al., 2021) |
| 3-(Methylsulfinyl)propyl ITC (iberin) |
glucoiberin (73) | unknown | anticarcinogenic activity (Kim and Singh, 2009; Wang et al., 2016; Pocasap et al., 2019) antioxidant activity (Ernst et al., 2013) antimicrobial activity (Nowicki et al., 2021) |
| 4-(Methylthio)but-3-enyl ITC (raphasatin) |
glucoraphasatin (83) | pungent (Bell et al., 2018) | anticarcinogenic and antioxidant activity (Sundaram et al., 2022) |
| 4-(Methylthio)butyl ITC (erucin) |
glucoerucin (84) | radish-like, cabbage-like, mushroom-like (Kroener and Buettner, 2017; Wei et al., 2021) | anticarcinogenic activity (Singh et al., 2020) antioxidant activity (Cedrowski et al., 2021) anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and cardioprotective activity (Jaafaru et al., 2018; Kamal et al., 2022) anti-obesity activity (Chae et al., 2015) antihypertensive activity (Martelli et al., 2020) |
| 7-(Methylthio)heptyl ITC | 7-(methylthio)heptyl GSL (87) | sweet, fatty, flowery, plastic, radish-like, pickle-like (Masuda et al., 1996; Kroener and Buettner, 2017) | antimicrobial activity (Shin et al., 2004) antiplatelet activity (Kumagai et al., 1994) |
| 6-(Methylthio)hexyl ITC (lesquerellin) |
glucolesquerellin (88) | sweet, fatty, acidic, radish-like (Masuda et al., 1996; Kroener and Buettner, 2017) | anticarcinogenic activity (Yano et al., 2000; Korenori et al., 2013) antiallergic activity (Yamada-Kato et al., 2012) antimicrobial activity (Shin et al., 2004) antiplatelet activity (Kumagai et al., 1994) |
| 5-(Methylthio)pentyl ITC (berteroin) |
glucoberteroin (94) | radish-like, pickle-like, mushroom-like (Masuda et al., 1996; Kroener and Buettner, 2017) | Prevention of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (Kim et al., 2021) anti-inflammatory activity (Jung et al., 2014) anticarcinogenic activity (Kim and Singh, 2009) |
| 3-(Methylthio)propyl ITC (iberverin) |
glucoiberverin (95) | strongly radish-like, pungent, sulfurous, vegetative, horseradish-like, mushroom-like, gooseberry-like (Masuda et al., 1996; Kroener and Buettner, 2017; Bell et al., 2021; Wei et al., 2021) | anticarcinogenic activity (Kim and Singh, 2009; Wang et al., 2016) antioxidant activity (Ernst et al., 2013) antimicrobial activity (Nowicki et al., 2021) |
| 4-Pentenyl ITC | glucobrassicanapin (101) | green, acrid, pungent, peppery, sulfurous, musty, fragrant, mustard-like, horseradish-like (Masuda et al., 1996; Bell et al., 2018, 2021) | antimicrobial activity (Jang et al., 2010) |
| 2-Phenylethyl ITC | gluconasturtiin (105) | strongly radish-like, strong watercress aroma, pungent, green, horseradish-like, gooseberry-like, tingling sensation (Masuda et al., 1996; Kroener and Buettner, 2017; Bell et al., 2018, 2021; Wei et al., 2021) | anticarcinogenic activity (Sundaram et al., 2022) antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity (Coscueta et al., 2022) cardioprotective and neuroprotective activity (Kamal et al., 2022) |
| Allyl ITC | sinigrin (107) | strongly pungent, spicy, bitter, sulfurous, lachrymatory, mustard-like, garlic-like, onion-like, horseradish-like (Masuda et al., 1996; Kroener and Buettner, 2017; Bell et al., 2018, 2021) | anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and wound-healing activity (Mazumder et al., 2016) antiviral activity (including COVID-19) (Guijarro-Real et al., 2021) antidiabetic and antihyperglycemic activity (Abbas et al., 2017; Zhang and Wang, 2022) potential goitrogenic effect (Lee and Kwon, 2015) |
| Allyl thiocyanate | sinigrin (107) | peppery, pungent, musty, sulfurous, mustard-like, horseradish-like (Bell et al., 2018, 2021) | potential goitrogenic effect (Lee and Kwon, 2015) |
a
The bold GSL numbers are placed in brackets after GSL names, and the order of GHPs is arranged by GSL numbers.
b
The detrimental effects of GHPs on human health are marked with an asterisk.
c
Goitrins include two enantiomers: (1) (S)-goitrin, also (S)-5-vinyloxazolidine-2-thione, which is formed from the hydrolysis of progoitrin (24R); and (2) (R)-goitrin, also (R)-5-vinyloxazolidine-2-thione, which is formed from the hydrolysis of epiprogoitrin (24S).