Sulforaphane inhibits proliferation by causing cell cycle arrest at the G₂/M phase in rabbit articular chondrocytes

Sulforaphane (SFN), a natural compound extracted from cruciferous vegetables, exhibits potent anticancer activity in various types of tumor cells. However, the effect of SFN on the proliferation of chondrocytes is not well understood. In the present study, we addressed the mechanism of action by which SFN suppresses proliferation. We demonstrate that SFN causes an irreversible arrest in cell proliferation, as determined by trypan blue dye exclusion assay and flow cytometric analysis. SFN induced cell cycle arrest at the G ₂/M phase by downregulation of cyclin B, cdc2 and cdc25c and upregulation of p21^WAF1/CIP1 and p53 in a dose- and time-dependent manner, as determined by western blot analysis. Our data suggest that SFN regulates cell cycle arrest at the G₂/M phase in rabbit articular chondrocytes.