Testing sulforaphane as a strategy against toxic chemicals of public health concern by toxicogenomic data analysis: Friend or foe at the gene level – Colorectal carcinoma case study

Toxic metals (cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As)) and plastificators (bis (2 – ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP)) and bisphenol A (BPA)) have been suggested to aid in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) advancement. Sulforaphane (SFN), isothiocyanate from cruciferous vegetables, diminishes chemical carcinogenesis susceptibility, but has been shown to act as a friend or a foe depending on various factors. By conducting the mechanistic toxicogenomic data mining approach, this research aimed to determine if SFN can alleviate toxic-metal and/or phthalate/BPA mixture-induced CRC at the gene level. Comparative Toxicogenomics Database, ToppGene Suite portal, Cytoscape software, InteractiVenn and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database (GEO2R tool) was used. Among the mutual genes for all the investigated substances, SFN had a protective impact only through PTGS2. Other proposed protective SFN-targets included ABCA1, ALDH2, BMP2, DPYD, MYC, SLCO2A1, and SOD2, only in the case of phthalates/BPA exposure. The only additional gene relevant for SFN protection against the toxic metal mixture-induced CRC was ABCB1. Additionally, the majority of the top 15 molecular pathways extracted for SFN impact on phthalate and BPA mixture-linked CRC development were directly linked with cancer development, which was not the case with the toxic metal mixture. The current research has indicated that SFN is a more effective chemoprotective agent against CRC induced by phthalates/BPA mixture than by toxic-metal mixture. It has also presented the value of computational methods as a simple tool for directing further research, selecting appropriate biomarkers and exploring the mechanisms of toxicity. [Display omitted] •SFN: protective impact only via PTGS2 against all investigated substances.•ABCA1, BMP2, MYC, SOD: other proposed protective SFN-targets for phthalates/BPA.•ABCH1: additional gene relevant for SFN protection against toxic metal-induced CRC.•Top 15 molecular pathways for SFN-phthalate/BPA-CRC - linked to cancer development.•SFN offers better protection against phthalates/BPA than against toxic metals.