MicroRNAs as novel targets of sulforaphane in cancer therapy: The beginning of a new tale?

Effective management and treatment of cancer depend on developing novel antitumor drugs with the capability of targeting various molecular pathways. Identification and subsequent targeting of these pathways are of importance in cancer therapy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNA molecules responsible for post-transcriptional regulation of genes. Notably, miRNAs participate in a number of biological processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, differentiation, and cell cycle regulation. So, any impairment in the expression and function of miRNAs is associated with development of disorders, particularly cancer. Naturally occurring nutraceutical compounds have attracted much attention due to their great antitumor activity. Among them, sulforaphane isolated from Brassica oleracea (broccoli) is of interest due to its therapeutic and biological activities such as antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotection, and cardiprotection. Sulforaphane has demonstrated great antitumor activity and is able to significantly inhibit proliferation, viability, migration, malignancy, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition of cancer cells. These antitumor effects have widely been investigated, and it appears that there is a need for a precise review to demonstrate the molecular pathway that sulforaphane follows to exert its antitumor activity. At the present review, we focus on the modulatory impact of sulforaphane on miRNAs and exhibit that how various miRNAs in different cancers are regulated by sulforaphane.