Fig. 5.

Effects of sulforaphane on epigenetic mechanisms. Sulforaphane is able to interact with HDACs, modifying the chromatin compaction state. It is known that sulforaphane linked to NAC can bind to the HDAC’s active site using a Zn atom, thus inhibiting histone deacetylation. The chromatin relaxation allows transcription of certain genes such as p21 or Bax, which act as tumor suppressors (left). Sulforaphane can also decrease DNMT expression, thus inducing various gene transcription, such as cell cycle regulators (like Cyclin D2) or stress-protector transcription factors (like Nrf2; right)