3,3'-Diindolylmethane


3,3′-Diindolylmethane is a compound derived from the digestion of indole-3-carbinol, found in cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale. The reputation of Brassica vegetables as healthy foods rests in part on the activities of diindolylmethane. Limited data from clinical studies indicate that DIM may have some benefits for patients suffering from types of prostate cancer, however more studies are required.

Properties

Clinical data for the effects of DIM are limited, but because of potential anticancer properties, the National Cancer Institute of the United States has begun clinical trials of DIM as a therapeutic for numerous forms of cancer. Much of the scientific interest is due to its action as a histone deacetylase inhibitor in vitro, specifically against HDAC1, HDAC2, and HDAC3.
DIM is a metabolite of the Indole-3-carbinol, also known as Indolylmethanol, which has been shown to have some cancer-preventative effects and some anti-cancer properties.
A study conducted in 2013 to research the use of DIM as a treatment to prevent or reduce the effects of acute radiation syndrome due to whole body exposure found that the compound may be useful in preventing or mitigating tissue damage due to partial body radiation exposure which occurs routinely during radiotherapy-based cancer treatment.

Uses

At the present time, DIM is used to treat recurrent respiratory papillomatosis, a rare respiratory disease with tumors in the upper respiratory tracts caused by the human papilloma virus. In a preliminary study on 64 women, it was well tolerated at the studied dose, showing some promising results as an immunostimulant against human papilloma virus infection of the cervix, but not at a statistically significant level. In a subsequent double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study on 600 women, DIM in vivo had no effect on cytology regarding cervical dysplasia, a precancerous condition also caused by the human papilloma virus.
DIM has been demonstrated to work synergistically with genistein, in causing apoptotic gene expression in breast cancer cells.

Analogs

Some unnatural synthetic analogs were also prepared. For example, 1,1-bis-1-methane is a Nur77 agonist.