indole-3-carbinol

Definition / meaning of indole-3-carbinol

A naturally occurring, orally available cleavage product of the glucosinolate glucobrassicanin, a natural compound present in a wide variety of plant food substances including members of the family Cruciferae with antioxidant and potential chemopreventive properties. Indole-3-carbinol scavenges free radicals and induces various hepatic cytochrome P450 monooxygenases. Specifically, this agent induces the hepatic monooxygenase cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1), resulting in increased 2-hydroxylation of estrogens and increased production of the chemoprotective estrogen 2-hydroxyestrone.

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Source(s):

The Web site of the National Cancer Institute (http://www.cancer.gov/)

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