چکیده (انگلیسی):

Garlic (Allium sativum), a member of the family Liliaceae, contains an abundance of
chemical compounds that have been shown to possess beneficial effects to protect against several
diseases, including cancer. Evidence supports the protective effects of garlic in stomach, colorectal,
breast cancer in humans. The protective effects appear to be related to the presence of organosulfur
compounds, predominantly allyl derivatives, which also have been shown to inhibit carcinogenesis
in forestomach, esophagus, colon, mammary gland and lung of experimental animals. The exact
mechanisms of the cancer-preventive effects are not clear, although several hypotheses have been
proposed. Organosulfur compounds modulate the activity of several metabolizing enzymes that
activate (cytochrome P450s) or detoxify (glutathione S-transferases) carcinogens and inhibit the
formation of DNA adducts in several target tissues. Antiproliferative activity has been described
in several tumor cell lines, which is possibly mediated by induction of apoptosis and alterations
of the cell cycle. Organosulfur compounds in garlic are thus possible cancer-preventive agents. Clinical
trials will be required to define the effective dose that has no toxicity in humans.