Nutraceuticals and nootropics for anti-aging

Indole-3-carbinol as anti-cancer agent: progress on many fronts

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) is a supplement that is enjoying increasing popularity for cancer prevention. (It is not thought to be a treatment for existing tumors, although it may inhibit metastasis.) This popularity is now spilling over into the research community, and so there are many studies underway to reveal and understand its anti-cancer properties.

I3C has shown remarkable abilities to prevent cancers that are hormone-dependent — including cancers of the prostate, breast, cervix, and other tissues. The mechanisms are still being worked out, but it appears that I3C or its metabolites act as disruptors of hormone action in cells that are precancerous, and cause these cells to die before they can make the transition to a cancerous state.

Here are some links to recent medical abstracts about I3C and its effects on prostate and breast cancers:

Plant-derived 3,3'-Diindolylmethane is a strong androgen antagonist in human prostate cancer cells.

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) induces apoptosis in tumorigenic but not in nontumorigenic breast epithelial cells.

The effect of indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane on a prostate cancer cell line.

Indole-3-carbinol is a negative regulator of estrogen.

And here is a study of toxicity of I3C:

Evaluation of chronic dietary exposure to indole-3-carbinol and absorption-enhanced 3,3'-diindolylmethane in sprague-dawley rats.