model induces global ischemia and reperfusion, such as occurs in coronary bypass surgery. It reproduces many of the physiological features of ischemia-reperfusion injury [47]. Importantly in the current context it shows that the in vivo dietary treatment produced changes intrinsic to the heart that afford protection even when the heart is removed and subjected to ischemia-reperfusion ex vivo.
In addition to sulforaphane, broccoli sprouts provide a variety of phytochemicals that may have contributed to the protection [14–29]. The dose of broccoli sprouts used herein (equivalent to 80–100 g fresh/day for humans) is achievable in a regular diet, posing a feasible dietary intervention against myocardial oxidative stress and ischemia-reperfusion injury.
Acknowledgements This work was supported by grants from the College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC). M. Akhlaghi was supported by a PhD fellowship from the Iranian Ministry of Health and Medical Education. Thanks to Dr. Bernhard H. Juurlink and Dr. Paul Lee for the broccoli seeds and helpful advice.