Published online Aug 21, 2016. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v22.i31.7058
Peer-review started: March 28, 2016
First decision: May 12, 2016
Revised: May 31, 2016
Accepted: June 15, 2016
Article in press: June 15, 2016
Published online: August 21, 2016
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a type of cancer with high morbidity and mortality rates worldwide and has become a global health problem. The conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy regimen for CRC not only has a low cure rate but also causes side effects. Many studies have shown that adequate intake of fruits and vegetables in the diet may have a protective effect on CRC occurrence, possibly due to the special biological protective effect of the phytochemicals in these foods. Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that phytochemicals play strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer roles by regulating specific signaling pathways and molecular markers to inhibit the occurrence and development of CRC. This review summarizes the progress on CRC prevention using the phytochemicals sulforaphane, curcumin and resveratrol, and elaborates on the specific underlying mechanisms. Thus, we believe that phytochemicals might provide a novel therapeutic approach for CRC prevention, but future clinical studies are needed to confirm the specific preventive effect of phytochemicals on cancer.
Core tip: This review summarizes the in vitro and in vivo studies on the phytochemicals sulforaphane, curcumin and resveratrol, and elaborates on their chemopreventive effects on colorectal cancer as well as their underlying molecular mechanisms. We hypothesize that phytochemicals might provide a new choice for colorectal cancer prevention and have great development potential.