Phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC) is a naturally occurring
isothiocyanate
In organic chemistry, isothiocyanate is the functional group , formed by substituting the oxygen in the isocyanate group with a sulfur. Many natural isothiocyanates from plants are produced by enzymatic conversion of metabolites called glu ...
whose precursor,
gluconasturtiin is found in some
cruciferous vegetables,
especially
watercress
Watercress or yellowcress (''Nasturtium officinale'') is a species of aquatic flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae.
Watercress is a rapidly growing perennial plant native to Europe and Asia. It is one of the oldest known leaf v ...
.
PEITC has been studied for its potential for
chemoprevention
Chemoprevention (also chemoprophylaxis) refers to the administration of a medication for the purpose of preventing disease or infection. Antibiotics, for example, may be administered to patients with disorders of immune system function to preven ...
of cancers,
such as prostate cancer.
In terms of
biosynthesis
Biosynthesis is a multi-step, enzyme-catalyzed process where substrates are converted into more complex products in living organisms. In biosynthesis, simple compounds are modified, converted into other compounds, or joined to form macromolecul ...
, PEITC is produced from
gluconasturtiin by the action of the enzyme
myrosinase.
References
Isothiocyanates
{{Cruciferous Biochemistry