Static magnetic field enhances the anticancer efficacy of capsaicin on HepG2 cells via capsaicin receptor TRPV1

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 13; no. 1; p. e0191078
• Main Authors: Chen, Wei-Ting, Lin, Guan-Bo, Lin, Shu-Hui, Lu, Chueh-Hsuan, Hsieh, Chih-Hsiung, Ma, Bo-Lun, Chao, Chih-Yu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 16.01.2018; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Anticancer properties; Antineoplastic agents; Apoptosis; Applied physics; Biology and Life Sciences; Biomedical engineering; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Capsaicin; Capsaicin receptors; Care and treatment; Chemotherapy; Cytotoxicity; Disease prevention; Dosage and administration; Drug development; Drugs; Engineering; Health aspects; Health physics; Life sciences; Magnetic fields; Medical prognosis; Medical research; Medicine; Medicine and Health Sciences; Microscopy; Mitochondria; Pain; Permeability; Physical Sciences; Research and analysis methods; Side effects; Studies; Synergistic effect; Toxicity
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191078

Static magnetic field (SMF) has shown some possibilities for cancer therapies. In particular, the combinational effect between SMF and anti-cancer drugs has drawn scientists' attentions in recent years. However, the underlying mechanism for the drug-specific synergistic effect is far from being understood. Besides, the drugs used are all conventional chemotherapy drugs, which may cause unpleasant side effects. In this study, our results demonstrate for the first time that SMF could enhance the anti-cancer effect of natural compound, capsaicin, on HepG2 cancer cells through the mitochondria-dependent apoptosis pathway. We found that the synergistic effect could be due to that SMF increased the binding efficiency of capsaicin for the TRPV1 channel. These findings may provide a support to develop an application of SMF for cancer therapy. The present study offers the first trial in combining SMF with natural compound on anti-cancer treatment, which provides additional insight into the interaction between SMF and anti-cancer drugs and opens the door for the development of new strategies in fighting cancer with minimum cytotoxicity and side effects.