Sulforaphane (SFN), belonging to the isothiocyanate family, has received attention owing to its beneficial activities, including chemopreventive and antifibrotic effects. As sulforaphane N-acetylcysteine (SFN-NAC), a major sulforaphane metabolite, has presented similar pharmacological activities to those of SFN, it is crucial to simultaneously analyze the pharmacokinetics and activities of SFN and SFN-NAC, to comprehensively elucidate the efficacy of SFN-containing products. Accordingly, the anti-pulmonary fibrotic effects of SFN and SFN-NAC were assessed, with simultaneous evaluation of permeability, metabolic stability, and in vivo pharmacokinetics. Both SFN and SFN-NAC decreased the levels of transforming growth factor-β1-induced fibronectin, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and collagen, which are major mediators of fibrosis, in MRC-5 fibroblast cells. Regarding pharmacokinetics, SFN and SFN-NAC were metabolically unstable, especially in the plasma. SFN-NAC degraded considerably faster than SFN in plasma, with SFN being formed from SFN-NAC. In rats, SFN and SFN-NAC showed a similar clearance when administered intravenously; however, SFN showed markedly superior absorption when administered orally. Although the plasma SFN-NAC concentration was low owing to poor absorption following oral administration, SFN-NAC was converted to SFN in vivo, as in plasma. Collectively, these data suggest that SFN-NAC could benefit a prodrug formulation strategy, possibly avoiding the gastrointestinal side effects of SFN, and with improved SFN-NAC absorption.
Keywords: anti-pulmonary fibrosis effect; metabolic stability; pharmacokinetics; sulforaphane; sulforaphane N-acetylcysteine.