Brassicaceae-Derived Anticancer Agents: Towards a Green Approach to Beat Cancer

Cancer is the main cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Although a large varietyof therapeutic approaches have been developed and translated into clinical protocols, the toxic sideeffects of cancer treatments negatively impact patients, allowing cancer to grow. Brassicametabolites are emerging as new weapons for anti-cancer therapeutics. The beneficial role of theconsumption of brassica vegetables, the most-used vegetables in the Mediterranean diet,particularly broccoli, in the prevention of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases,diabetes, and obesity, has been well-documented. In this review, we discuss the anti-tumor effectsof the bioactive compounds from Brassica vegetables with regard to the compounds and types ofcancer against which they show activity, providing current knowledge on the anti-cancer effects ofBrassica metabolites against major types of tumors. In addition, we discuss the impacts of industrialand domestic processing on the compounds' functional properties before their consumption as wellas the main strategies used to increase the content of health-promoting metabolites in Brassica plantsthrough biofortification. Finally, the impacts of microbiota on the compounds' bioactivity areconsidered. This information will be helpful for the further development of efficacious anti-cancerdrugs.