Capsaicin, a chemical known to pack the punch in chillies, may one day be a brute force against prostate cancer.
Researchers first conducted a study of capsaicin’s cancer-fighting abilities back in 2006, finding that high doses of capsaicin were found to kill cancer cells in mice while leaving healthy cells unscathed. However, it was not until recently that scientists in India were able to discover more behind the chemical’s power.
Image Source: Lew Robertson
After almost ten years of mystery, researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras finally were able to follow the interaction of capsaicin with cell membranes. By taking advantage of the chemical’s natural fluorescence, scientists involved in the study learned that capsaicin is able to bind to the surface of cancer cells and eventually disintegrate their membranes by triggering a series of chemical changes. Although scientists currently do not know the exact mechanism, they believe that capsaicin is able to detect prostate cancer cell lines by the up-regulation, or over-expression, of specific genes. These genes include tumor suppressor gene p53, which halts a cell from going down a cancerous pathway, cell cycle regulator p21, which controls the growth of cells, and apoptosis activator Bax, which causes cells to self-destruct. After detection, it is speculated that capsaicin is able to cause down-regulation of these genes and cause the cell membrane fluidity of the cancer cells to change to a point of destruction.
The damage done on cancer cells, however, requires a very high concentration of capsaicin. In order to see any effect, a person who is 200 pounds would have to consume at least ten habañera peppers per day. While one typical habañera contains approximately 300,000 Scoville units–a measurement used to determine the pungency of spicy foods–regular jalapeños found in common dishes only contain 2500 to 5000 Scoville units. For this reason, scientists are looking into concentrating capsaicin in pill form. Eating one habañera pepper, let alone ten, would be a near impossible feat. Those already suffering from prostate cancer should not have endure added pain.
While the use of capsaicin to fight off prostate cancer cells seems promising, further research must be conducted before it can be used therapeutically. The team at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras is now in the works of determining the exact molecular pathway that causes cancer cell apoptosis in the presence of capsaicin.
So even if you can take the heat, don’t load up on habañera peppers just yet. Even though current findings seem encouraging, the research still needs more time to mature.
Feature Image Source: produce_0023 by Oregon State University
