Asthma afflicts 23 million people, results in nearly 13 million ambulatory physician encounters, and 440,000 hospitalizations annually. The economic burden for 2010 is estimated to run $20.7 billion.
Although steroids are the mainstay of treatment, they do not "cure" the disease. While inflammation may be the inciting factor, other mechanisms must play a crucial role in this process. Elevated oxidative stress could cause the kind of chronic inflammation associated with asthma, and could provide an explanation for recurrent asthma attacks. Cigarette smoke, both primary and secondary exposure, worsens the oxidative stress balance in the airways. Thus, the continuing focus on simply treating the inflammation is a barrier to progress. It is critical to examine other factors, such as abnormal oxidative stress through specific pathways that may affect airway inflammation and asthma attacks.
One compound, that repairs oxidative stress pathways, is sulforaphane, a food compound found in vegetables, including broccoli sprouts. Preliminary data demonstrate that broccoli sprout extract (BSE), rich in sulforaphane, improves airflow measures in asthmatics.
We plan to examine whether the airflow abnormalities in asthma, and the exacerbation from cigarette smoke, can be prevented by the administration of BSE, and determine the primary inflammatory and oxidative stress signaling pathways involved in the protection provided by BSE.
