Corn oil and milk enhance the absorption of orally administered allyl isothiocyanate in rats

•Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) has anticancer effects in cancer cells and animal models.•N-Acetylcysteine conjugate of AITC (NAC-AITC) is final metabolite of AITC in vivo.•Urinary NAC-AITC was evaluated in rats coadministered AITC with fluids or corn oil.•Corn oil and milk enhance the absorption of AITC in rats.

Allyl isothiocyanate, a chief component of mustard oil, exhibits anticancer effects in both cultured cancer cells and animal models. The accumulation of the N-acetylcysteine conjugate of allyl isothiocyanate, the final metabolite of allyl isothiocyanate, in urine was evaluated in rats that were orally coadministered allyl isothiocyanate with fluids (e.g., water, green tea, milk, and 10% ethanol) or corn oil. The N-acetylcysteine conjugate of allyl isothiocyanate content in urine when allyl isothiocyanate (2 or 4 μmol) was coadministered with corn oil or milk showed a greater increase (1.4 ± 0.22 or 2.7 ± 0.34 μmol or 1.2 ± 0.32 or 2.5 ± 0.36 μmol, 1.6- to 1.8-fold or 1.5-fold, respectively) than when allyl isothiocyanate (2 or 4 μmol) was coadministered with water (0.78 ± 0.10 or 1.7 ± 0.17 μmol). This result demonstrates that corn oil and milk enhance the absorption of allyl isothiocyanate in rats.