Sulforaphane

Summary

Sulforaphane (CHEMBL48802) is a phase-3 clinical-stage small-molecule antineoplastic agent; indicated across 22 conditions including autism and schizoaffective disorder.

At a glance

• Status: Max clinical phase 3 (not approved)
• Modality: Small molecule
• Indications: 22 conditions
• Clinical trials: 40
• Chemistry: 177.3 Da · C6H11NOS2

Identifiers

Drug identity and classification

Field	Value
ChEMBL ID	CHEMBL48802
Name	Sulforaphane
Type	Small molecule
Max phase	3
FDA approved	no
PubChem CID	5350
ChEBI	CHEBI:47807
Molecular formula	C6H11NOS2
Molecular weight	177.3
InChIKey	SUVMJBTUFCVSAD-UHFFFAOYSA-N

SMILES: CS(=O)CCCCN=C=S

IUPAC name: 1-isothiocyanato-4-methylsulfinylbutane

ChEBI definition: An isothiocyanate having a 4-(methylsulfinyl)butyl group attached to the nitrogen.

Pharmacological roles (ChEBI): antineoplastic agent, antioxidant, EC 3.5.1.98 (histone deacetylase) inhibitor.

Other ChEBI roles (chemical / environmental): plant metabolite.

Also known as: (-)-sulforaphane, (r)-sulforaphane, Sfx-01, Sulforaphane, Sulforaphane, (r)-, sulforaphane, SID29217652, SULFORAPHANE, rac-Sulforaphane, L-sulforaphane

Patent coverage: 2,864 distinct patent families (7,981 SureChEMBL compound mentions), from 1 matched compound structure(s). Mentions count patents naming the compound (not distinct inventions), so promiscuous / reference molecules inflate the mention figure — families are the dedup metric.

Targets

Targets

Broader ChEMBL bioactivity targets: 8 (assay-derived). Sample: Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, Nuclear receptor ROR-gamma, Epidermal growth factor receptor, Macrophage migration inhibitory factor, Prostaglandin G/H synthase 2, Keap1/Nrf2, Nitric oxide synthase, inducible, BACH1/MafK.

Bioactivity

ChEMBL activities: 11 potent at pChembl ≥ 5 of 14 total. Top 100 by potency (10 = 0.1 nM, 6 = 1 µM):

Target	pChembl	Type	Value	Unit	Activity ID
P29477	6.4	IC50	400	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_15605529
NFE2L2	6.24	EC50	580	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_18854406
NFE2L2	6.24	EC50	580	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_18952784
NFE2L2	6.24	EC50	580	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_22807114
KEAP1	6.06	EC50	870	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_18895242
NFE2L2	6.06	EC50	879	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_25653676
NFE2L2	5.92	EC50	1200	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_16857352
MIF	5.66	IC50	2200	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_15196038
P51450	5.5	Potency	3162	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_4790571
PTGS2	5.2	IC50	6354	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_29291625
EGFR	5.05	IC50	9000	nM	CHEMBL_ACT_16605962

Target pathways

No target-pathway data for this drug (no mapped target genes).

Indications & clinical

Indications

15 diseases in clinical trials (phase 1–3, investigational — not approved indications). Highest ChEMBL trial phase per disease; a non-cancer approved use is occasionally logged at phase 3 here.

Disease (in trials)	Phase	MONDO	EFO
autism	3	MONDO:0005260	EFO:0003758
schizoaffective disorder	3	MONDO:0005487	EFO:0005411
psychotic disorder	3	MONDO:0005485	EFO:0005407
prostate adenocarcinoma	2	MONDO:0005082	EFO:0000673
autism spectrum disorder	2	MONDO:0005258	EFO:0003756
depressive disorder	2	MONDO:0002050	MONDO:0002050
breast neoplasm	2	MONDO:0021100	MONDO:0007254
lung neoplasm	2	MONDO:0021117	MONDO:0008903
chronic kidney disease	2	MONDO:0005300	EFO:0003884
urothelial carcinoma	2	MONDO:0040679	EFO:0008528
type 2 diabetes mellitus	2	MONDO:0005148	MONDO:0005148
Parkinson disease	2	MONDO:0005180	MONDO:0005180
kidney disorder	2	MONDO:0005240	EFO:0003086
urinary bladder neoplasm	2	MONDO:0004987	EFO:0000294
subarachnoid hemorrhage	2	MONDO:0005099	EFO:0000713

6 further indication records had no mapped disease name (EFO/MeSH-only) or were duplicates, and are omitted.

Clinical trials

Total trials: 40.

Phase distribution

Phase	Trials
PHASE2	17
Not specified	13
PHASE1/PHASE2	3
PHASE1	3
PHASE4	2
PHASE3	2

Top trials by phase / activity

NCT	Phase	Status	Title
NCT05145270	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	A Comparative Study on Efficacy and Safety of add-on Sulforaphane or rTMS to Escitalopram for Major Depressive Disorder With Poor Response to Initial Treatment
NCT05224492	PHASE4	UNKNOWN	Sulforaphane Use to Effect Inflammatory and Metabolic Changes in Virally Suppressed HIV Patients
NCT03932136	PHASE3	RECRUITING	Decreasing Risk of Psychosis by Sulforaphane (DROPS Trial)
NCT02654743	PHASE3	COMPLETED	Open Label of Clinical Trial of Sulforaphane in Children With Autism
NCT02677051	PHASE2	ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING	Sulforaphane in a New Jersey (NJ) Population of Individuals With Autism
NCT03934905	PHASE1/PHASE2	RECRUITING	Protective Effects of the Nutritional Supplement Sulforaphane on Doxorubicin-Associated Cardiac Dysfunction
NCT05408559	PHASE1/PHASE2	RECRUITING	Prevention of Age-associated Cardiac and Vascular Dysfunction Using Avmacol ES
NCT05653492	PHASE2	ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING	Safety, Feasibility, and Tolerability of Sulforaphane in Children with Chronic Kidney Disease
NCT01228084	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Sulforaphane in Treating Patients With Recurrent Prostate Cancer
NCT01335971	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Broccoli Sprout Extracts Trial to See if NRF2 is Enhanced by Sulforaphane Treatment in Patients With COPD
NCT02561481	PHASE1/PHASE2	COMPLETED	Sulforaphane Treatment of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
NCT02614742	PHASE2	COMPLETED	SFX-01 After Subarachnoid Haemorrhage
NCT02801448	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Clinical Trial With Broccoli Sprout Extract to Patients With Type 2 Diabetes
NCT02810964	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Sulforaphane to Reduce Symptoms of Schizophrenia
NCT02880462	PHASE2	COMPLETED	A 6-month Study to Evaluate Sulforaphane add-on Effects in Treatment of Schizophrenia
NCT02909959	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Sulforaphane for the Treatment of Young Men With Autism Spectrum Disorder
NCT02970682	PHASE2	COMPLETED	SFX-01 in the Treatment and Evaluation of Metastatic Breast Cancer
NCT03126539	PHASE2	TERMINATED	Effect of Topical Sulforaphane on Skin Fragility Seen in Skin Aging and With Ultraviolet Exposure
NCT03232138	PHASE2	COMPLETED	Clinical Trial of Lung Cancer Chemoprevention With Sulforaphane in Former Smokers
NCT03517995	PHASE2	WITHDRAWN	Randomized, Phase II Clinical Trial of Sulforaphane in Bladder Cancer Chemoprevention
NCT04246905	PHASE2	UNKNOWN	A 12-weeks Study to Evaluate Sulforaphane in the Treatment of Depression
NCT04252261	PHASE2	UNKNOWN	Effects of Sulforaphane on Cognitive Function in Patients With Frontal Brain Damage
NCT04521868	PHASE2	COMPLETED	A 6-month Study to Evaluate Sulforaphane Effects in Schizophrenia Patients
NCT05084365	PHASE2	UNKNOWN	A 6-month Study to Evaluate Sulforaphane Effects in PD Patients
NCT00621309	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Sulforaphane as an Antagonist to Human PXR-mediated Drug-drug Interactions
NCT01845493	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Sulforaphane Supplementation in Atopic Asthmatics
NCT05153174	PHASE1	COMPLETED	Study of Sulphoraphane in Chronic Kidney Disease
NCT04608903	Not specified	ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING	Effects of Sulforaphane for Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease
NCT04805957	Not specified	ENROLLING_BY_INVITATION	Validation Digital Bio-markers During Sulforaphane Treatment.
NCT06594536	Not specified	NOT_YET_RECRUITING	Study of the Efficacy of Sulforaphane in Children Aged 6 to 12 With Attention Deficit Disorder With or Without Hyperactivity
NCT07297576	Not specified	RECRUITING	Safety and Feasibility of Sulforaphane to Promote Early Haematopoietic Recovery After Cord Blood Transplantation
NCT02879110	Not specified	COMPLETED	A 12-weeks Study to Evaluate Sulforaphane in Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder
NCT03878368	Not specified	COMPLETED	Broccoli In Osteoarthritis
NCT04046653	Not specified	COMPLETED	Accumulation of Dietary Bioactives and Prostate Cancer
NCT04213391	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Effects of Sulforaphane in Patients With Prodromal to Mild Alzheimer’s Disease
NCT04364360	Not specified	UNKNOWN	Sulforaphane Supplementation Study
NCT04848792	Not specified	COMPLETED	Treatment Strategy to Enhance Nrf2 Signaling in Older Adults
NCT04858854	Not specified	COMPLETED	Effect of Broccoli Sprout Extract in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease With Diabetes Type 2
NCT05233579	Not specified	COMPLETED	Open-Label Trial of Sulforaphane in Premutation Carriers With FXTAS
NCT07047976	Not specified	WITHDRAWN	Mechanism Study of Sulforaphane in ASD Improvement

Clinical evidence (CIViC)

No CIViC predictive evidence (expected for non-precision-medicine drugs).

Pharmacology

Pharmacogenomics

No PharmGKB pharmacogenomic data curated for this drug.

Related molecules

Related molecules

No competitor molecules sharing a primary target (ChEMBL phase ≥2 or PubChem drug-class).