Back in 2019 a group of scientists investigated the action of one of the 3 unique chemical found in Wasabia japonica on a human Leukemia cell line known as K562.[1]

They only studied the action of 6-(Methylsulfinyl) Hexyl Isothiocyanate and found that the evidence suggested that 6-MITC inhibited human leukemia K562 cell growth and induced cell death of the leukemia cell. The mode of cell death was through two distinct pathways involving autophagy and mitotic arrest.

It has been reported that 6-MITC possesses antitumor characteristics through the inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) pathway, the disturbance of mitochondrial function, and finally, the induction of cell apoptosis in different cancer cells [4,5].

Previously, they found that 6-MITC acted against tumor cell growth through mitotic arrest, the induction of apoptosis, and the inhibition of the expression of SOX2, a cancer stem cell molecule in human pancreatic cancer cells [3]. In this study they demonstrated a novel mechanism through which 6-MITC suppressed leukemia cell growth by two different modes of cell death. 

Although 6-MITC is isolated from an edible plant, the safety of 6-MITC on non-target cells is also a critical concern. A previous report showed that 6-MITC had no significant toxicity on human fibroblast cells [2]. The result indicated that 6-MITC is a safe natural compound with cytotoxicity specific to tumor cells.

Previous Studies

A previous study published in 2017 [6] focused on evaluating 6-MITC’s in vitro cytotoxic, cytostatic and cytodifferentiating activities, as well as its pro-apoptotic potential. The results demonstrated that 6-MITC exerts a stronger cytotoxic effect on tumour cells than on healthy cells. It was also observed that 6-MITC is able to limit tumour growth by slowing down and blocking the cell cycle, in a dose and time-related manner, while exerting no activity of any kind on the replication of healthy cells. 

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of 6-MITC as a chemopreventive agent in leukaemia cell lines. More specifically, its antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects were analysed in human lymphoblastic leukaemia cells (Jurkat cells) and in human promyelocytic leukaemia cells (HL-60 cells).

6-MITC and Chemoprevention

6-(methylsulfonyl) hexyl isothiocyanate (6-MITC), is present in high concentrations in the Wasabia Japonica rhizome. 

Wasabia Japonica, is becoming increasingly important in the scientific field due to the presence, at high concentrations, of numerous Isothiocyanates (ITCs) including 2, 4, 6, 7 and 8-MITCs. Among them, 6-MITC is the one present at the highest concentration and is the most interesting bioactive compound. Numerous scientific and epidemiological studies have confirmed, for example, its significant anti-inflammatory [7,8,9] and antioxidant [10,11,12] properties, leading to its hypothesised use in chemoprevention.

The aim of this study, therefore, was to evaluate the potential of 6-MITC as a chemopreventive agent in leukaemia cell lines. More specifically, its antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects were analysed in human lymphoblastic leukaemia cells (Jurkat cells) and in human promyelocytic leukaemia cells (HL-60 cells). In addition to evaluating its cytostatic and cytotoxic effects on transformed cells, its selectivity for non-transformed human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) was also tested using the same endpoints.

In conclusion, 6-MITC inhibited the growth of human CML K562, HL-60 and Jurkat cells. The compound induced a unique mode of cell death with coexisting mitosis and autophagy, which are regarded as distinct cellular events with counteracting presence.

 It was found that 6-MITC, a natural compound from Wasabia japonica, has therapeutic potential against Leukemia.