Investigating sulforaphane as a future therapeutic for preeclampsia

Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy that implicates between 2-8% of pregnancies worldwide. Despite its severity, targeted therapeutics are non-existent. Recently, the compound sulforaphane has garnered increasing attention for its potential as a preeclampsia therapeutic. Found within broccoli sprouts, sulforaphane can be accessed commercially as broccoli extracts and exhibits promising antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Firstly, this thesis investigated the current literature of broccoli products in human pregnancy. Then, through pilot clinical trials, this dissertation assessed sulforaphane’s acute vascular benefits through non-invasive cardiovascular technologies, demonstrated sulforaphane transfer from mother to baby and compared the pharmacokinetics of three commercially-available broccoli extracts.