Developmental changes of sinigrin and glucoraphanin in three Brassica species (Brassica nigra, Brassica juncea and Brassica oleracea var. italica)

Abstract

Hydrolysis products of sinigrin (2-propenylglucosinolate) and glucoraphanin (4-methylsulphinylbutylglucosinolate) have been shown to protect against the development of cancers. However, there was limited information available on the variation of these two glucosinolates throughout the plant cycle. The objective of this study was to evaluate sinigrin and glucoraphanin levels within Brassica plants during development. Sinigrin concentration in B. juncea and B. nigra decreased from seedling to early flowering stage, increased in the late flowering stage and then decreased again during seed maturation. The lowest concentration of sinigrin occurred at the early flowering stage except in one genot..