INHIBITION OF ODORANT-INDUCED SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION BY DIINDOLYLMETHANE, A FOOD-DERIVED BIOACTIVE MOLECULE

Diindolylmethane is a well-known molecule derived from indole-3-carbinol found in cruciferous vegetables. It plays many biological roles in angiogenesis, apoptosis, inflammation, hormone control cell cycle, and tumor growth. However, the functions of DIM in the olfactory system have not been well understood Because cAMP and Ca2+ signal transduction plays a pivotal role in the olfactory system, we investigated the effects of DIM on cAMP, its downstream target CREB, and Ca2+ in gastric adenocarcinoma cells infected with adenovirus expressing the eugenol receptor. Our results demonstrate the upregulation of cAMP and Ca2+ levels, and the phosphorylation of CREB by eugenol in AGS cells. This upregulation was significantly decreased by treatment with DIM. The data suggest that DIM inhibits the odorant-induced signal pathway.