benzyl isothiocyanate

Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) is a naturally occurring isothiocyanate compound found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, and watercress. It has demonstrated antibacterial properties and notable anticancer activities in preclinical studies. Mechanistically, BITC exerts its effects by modulating various cellular signaling pathways involved in apoptosis, cell proliferation inhibition, cell cycle arrest, metastasis suppression, angiogenesis inhibition, and autophagy induction. In bacteria such as *Campylobacter jejuni*, BITC disrupts major metabolic processes by targeting proteins—leading to protein aggregation and impaired energy metabolism—which ultimately results in cell death. In animal models and cellular systems it has shown chemopreventive potential against several cancers and may also have beneficial effects on obesity-related metabolic disorders[1][3][5][6][8].

Other names

benzyl mustard oilBITC(isothiocyanatomethyl)benzene