The potential antitumor effects of capsaicin

Capsaicin, one of the major pungent ingredients found in red peppers, has been recently demonstrated to induce apoptosis in many types of malignant cell lines including colon adenocarcinoma, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and many others. The mechanism w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inProgress in drug research Vol. 68; p. 181
Main Authors Díaz-Laviada, Inés, Rodríguez-Henche, Nieves
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland 01.01.2014
Subjects
Animals
Antineoplastic Agents - pharmacology
Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use
Apoptosis - drug effects
Autophagy
Capsaicin - chemistry
Capsaicin - pharmacology
Capsaicin - therapeutic use
Humans
Neoplasms - drug therapy
TRPV Cation Channels - drug effects
TRPV Cation Channels - physiology
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Summary:Capsaicin, one of the major pungent ingredients found in red peppers, has been recently demonstrated to induce apoptosis in many types of malignant cell lines including colon adenocarcinoma, pancreatic cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and many others. The mechanism whereby capsaicin induces apoptosis in cancer cells is not completely elucidated but involves intracellular calcium increase, reactive oxygen species generation, disruption of mitochondrial membrane transition potential, and activation of transcription factors such as NFkappaB and STATS. Recently, a role for the AMP-dependent kinase (AMPK) and autophagy pathways in capsaicin-triggered cell death has been proposed. In addition, capsaicin shows antitumor activity in vivo by reducing the growth of many tumors induced in mice. In this chapter, we report the last advances performed in the antitumor activity of capsaicin and review the main signaling pathways involved.
ISSN:0071-786X
DOI:10.1007/978-3-0348-0828-6_8