抗癌的膳食化合物已成为一种备受关注的有效方法。花椰菜、椰菜花、卷心菜和甘蓝等十字花科蔬菜中含有异烟酸醇（I3C）和3,3'-二吲哚甲烷（DIM）等杂环生物活性化合物。它们是在葡萄糖苷酸酯结构经过糖酵解后合成的。临床和临床前试验已评估了I3C和DIM的药代动力学/药效学、功效、抗氧化、预防癌症（子宫颈异常增生、前列腺癌、乳腺癌）和抗肿瘤活性，参与消化过程中生成的多酚衍生物显示出有希望的结果。然而，它们发挥抗癌和诱导细胞凋亡特性的确切机制尚未完全理解。通过本研究，我们更新了关于I3C和DIM化合物抗癌研究现状的现有知识。我们还总结了：（i）最近关于I3C/DIM作为治疗分子的进展，因为它们代表着有潜力的抗癌药物；（ii）关于I3C和DIM的性质表征的相关文献以及与药物性质相关的挑战，例如溶解度低和生物利用度差；（iii）合成和半合成衍生物；（iv）体外/体内抗肿瘤作用机制；（v）与细胞凋亡和细胞周期进展以及细胞增殖调节相关的细胞信号通路作用，如过氧化物酶增殖物活化受体和PPARγ激动剂；SR13668、Akt抑制剂、环蛋白调节、ER依赖和非依赖通路以及它们当前的医疗应用，以了解潜在的利用这些化合物代替化疗合成药物的研究机会。© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.

Dietary compounds in cancer prevention have gained significant consideration as a viable method. Indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and 3,3'-diindolylmethane (DIM) are heterocyclic and bioactive chemicals found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts. They are synthesized after glycolysis from the glucosinolate structure. Clinical and preclinical trials have evaluated the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic, effectiveness, antioxidant, cancer-preventing (cervical dysplasia, prostate cancer, breast cancer), and anti-tumor activities of I3C and DIM involved with polyphenolic derivatives created in the digestion showing promising results. However, the exact mechanism by which they exert anti-cancer and apoptosis-inducing properties has yet to be entirely understood. Via this study, we update the existing knowledge of the state of anti-cancer investigation concerning I3C and DIM chemicals. We have also summarized; (i) the recent advancements in the use of I3C/DIM as therapeutic molecules since they represent potentially appealing anti-cancer agents, (ii) the available literature on the I3C and DIM characterization, and the challenges related to pharmacologic properties such as low solubility, and poor bioavailability, (iii) the synthesis and semi-synthetic derivatives, (iv) the mechanism of anti-tumor action in vitro/in vivo, (v) the action in cellular signaling pathways related to the regulation of apoptosis and anoikis as well as the cell cycle progression and cell proliferation such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor and PPARγ agonists; SR13668, Akt inhibitor, cyclins regulation, ER-dependent-independent pathways, and their current medical applications, to recognize research opportunities to potentially use these compounds instead chemotherapeutic synthetic drugs.© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.