Posted on 01/11/2007 12:49:25 PM PST by aculeus
Science Daily — The chemical that gives spicy food its kick could hold the key to the next generation of anti-cancer drugs that will kill tumours with few or no side effects for the patient, say academics at The University of Nottingham.
A study by the scientists, published online in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, has proven for the first time that the chemical compound capsaicin -- which is responsible for the burning sensation when we eat chillies -- can kill cells by directly targeting their energy source.
It could mean that patients could control or prevent the onset of cancer by eating a diet rich in capsaicin and that existing products to treat conditions such as psoriasis and muscle strain, which contain the compound and are already approved for medical use, could be adapted to tackle this more serious disease.
The Nottingham study has shown that the family of compounds to which capsaicin belongs, vanilloids, can kill cancer by attacking the mitochondria of the tumour cell, commonly known as its 'powerhouse', which produces ATP, the major energy-containing chemical in the body. By binding proteins in the cancer cell mitochondria the compound triggers apoptosis, or natural cell death, without harming the healthy surrounding cells.
Dr Timothy Bates, the study's leader, is a member of the Medical Research Council (MRC) College of Experts and an internationally-renowned researcher in the areas of mitochondrial research and anti-cancer drug development. He said: "This is incredibly exciting and may explain why people living in countries like Mexico and India, who traditionally eat a diet which is very spicy, tend to have lower incidences of many cancers that are prevalent in the western world."
The compound has been tested in the laboratory on H460 human lung cancer cells, approved by the National Cancer Institute as a member of its 60 cell panel which is the 'gold standard' for testing new anti-cancer drugs, and produced startling results. Dr Bates' research team also tested similar compounds on pancreatic cancer, producing similar cell death to that observed with the lung cancer cells. These results are highly significant, as pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to treat and which has a five-year survival rate of less than one per cent.
"As these compounds attack the very heart of the tumour cells, we believe that we have in effect discovered a fundamental 'Achilles heel' for all cancers. The investigation and development of anti-mitochondrial drugs for cancer chemotherapy by our group is unique in the UK and is likely to be extremely significant in man's fight against cancer both here and internationally."
By its very nature capsaicin, and other vanilloids found in the human diet, are safe because we already eat them in many common foods. And some have already been passed for use in treatments for other medical conditions, reducing the number of hurdles needed to get them approved for use in cancer patients.
Dr Bates added: "To develop a new drug costs pharmaceutical companies in the region of $800 million and takes up to 10 years.
"To develop a drug for a secondary medical purpose costs far less, so compounds such as capsaicin and the others we have identified could mean big business. Capsaicin, for example, is already found in treatments for muscle strain and psoriasis -- which raises the question of whether an adapted topical treatment could be used to treat certain types of skin cancer.
"We have already identified a number of compounds that are currently used in man for other diseases that have (secondary) anti-cancer actions. We are currently seeking industrial partners to enable these agents to be used in clinical trials with colleagues from Nottingham and other centres in the UK to treat a variety of cancers both in adults and, in particular, in children's cancers, where their younger cells are already 'primed' to die by apoptosis making them more susceptible to these agents.
"It's also possible that cancer patients or those at risk of developing cancer could be advised to eat a diet which is richer in spicy foods to help treat or prevent the disease."
The study has brought together researchers from The University of Nottingham's Schools of Community Health Sciences, Medical and Surgical Sciences and Biomedical Sciences and colleagues from the Welsh School of Pharmacy at Cardiff University.
The study is also the first by the newly-established Nottingham UK-China Collaboration on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NUKCAM), which consists of researchers from The University of Nottingham and the Chinese National Academy of Sciences, including Professor De-An Guo, Head of the Shanghai Research Centre for Traditional Chinese Medicine Modernization. Professor Guo has expertise in separating out chemical compounds in ancient Chinese herbal remedies, and is collaborating with Dr Bates and his colleagues to establish why compounds used in Chinese medicine are successful in treating cancer and a wide range of other diseases.
Note: This story has been adapted from a news release issued by University Of Nottingham.
Looks like all those jalepeno eating contests I had as a kid growing up in Tucson is gonna work out all right!
Think I'm gonna go get some jalepeno queso right now in fact!
Well lessseeeee....
I have habanero jelly on my toast in the morning, and jalepenos in my sandwich at lunch.
And then the thai peppers used to marinate my dinner.
I like this report. :)
I wonder if it works on brain cells as well?
Actually, this applies to me. I also read they treated diabetes in rats with capsaicin, though the process was a little different.
Fire it up! I grew jalapenos right next to habaneros - didn't realize the cross pollination actually makes XXtra hot jalapenos 'til after the fact. It sure did. I've always heard that capsaicin kills the bad bacteria that can inhabit raw oysters too.
I've also wonder if after a hot pepper binge, If I've killed off my good digestive bacteria. Usually try to eat some live culture yogurt within the next few days.
These are Scotch Bonnets and they are hot. Scotch Bonnet info at Food Network.
Dunno.
I grow a "salsa garden" every year that is predominantly bells (red,yellow,green) jalapeno, thai, jabanero and then tomatoes, spices, onions, carrots, squash, corn, etc.
The idea being that we eat lots of good salsa, pickle and jelly up a bunch and have poppers often.
I'm not an expert though, just a hobbyist.
I grow habaneros and no jalapenos because to me jalapenos have a nasty taste. My nephew grew both side by side and he too said it made the jalapenos hotter. I got a few of the habeneros from him and could taste that distinct jalapeno flavor in them.
I had 60 habenero plants this past season and they yielded about 2500 peppers (yes,I kept count) I dehydrate and grind most of them and give away a lot to friends (and enemies) but they made outstanding salsa too.
I need a longer growing season because the plants still had immature peppers on them when the frost hit here in central Illinois.
They look like jabaneros with different colors.
For a dozen pints of jelly, we use about 8-12 so they are definitely HOT.
How are you dehyrating them? Just hanging them?
I'd like to give peppers another shot this spring. A horrible landscaping accident ruined my few little bushes about a year and a half ago. (The weedeater accidently swiped them.)
The picture in post #12 looks like them but it needs some blue ones mixed in.
They were far and away the hottest pepper I ever tasted.
No, they weren't round like that.
I have two dehydrators, they are about $40 at Wal-Mart.
They have to be sliced to fit in the dehydrator and that is a very troublesome operation. As many as I slice and dry, rubber gloves are not up to the job, the juice penetrates right through them and leaves a lasting burning sensation, so I use a knife and fork and dont touch them with my bare hands when slicing.
The grinding should be done outdoors too, indoors and you will be overwhelmed by the fumes.
I learned all this the hard way.
Yes, I learned not to answer nature's call after slicing habaneros back in college. Unless, of course, you want to run out of your house and down the street aimlessly.
A small electric coffee grinder works great for grinding them after they are dried. They cost about $15.
I use one for grinding all sorts of dried spices.
I have used an electric smoker ( without the wood chips) for dehydrating stuff. Works great.
"I'm healthy, but my ass hurts...."
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