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.
I believe that the anti-cancer ingredient is cumin (found in both Mexican and Indian foods), not hot peppers.
You can add pepper filled Chinese food to your diet and vary your diet between TexMex, MexMex, and Chinese Pepper!
Bon Appetite'!
Are you buying your habanero's as seedlings, or planting them from seed yourself? I ask because I live in DeKalb, IL and would love to know a good IL supplier for seedling habaneros to plant. I've never had much luck when starting my own from seeds.
NFP
NFP
Could be. But cumin and peppers are plants while capsicum (standard American spelling) is a chemical compound which seems to be the stuff that's tested.
I buy the plants at Wal-Mart $2 each. I live in Pekin, the season is just not long enough to start them from seeds.
Now I go to the doctor to be pepper-sprayed?
NFP
If you follow the link, you can order them online. Not too expensive and once you have a batch, you can keep your own seeds and burn your tongue for free!
Understood -- bu look at this:
Chemopreventive effects of Cuminum cyminum in chemically induced forestomach and uterine cervix tumors in murine model systems.
* Gagandeep,
* Dhanalakshmi S,
* Mendiz E,
* Rao AR,
* Kale RK.
Radiation and Cancer Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi-110067, India.
Lately, a strong correlation has been established between diet and cancer. For ages, cumin has been a part of the diet. It is a popular spice regularly used as a flavoring agent in a number of ethnic cousins.
In the present study, cancer chemopreventive potentials of different doses of a cumin seed-mixed diet were evaluated against benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P]-induced forestomach tumorigenesis and 3-methylcholanthrene (MCA)-induced uterine cervix tumorigenesis.
Results showed a significant inhibition of stomach tumor burden (tumors per mouse) by cumin. Tumor burden was 7.33 +/- 2.10 in the B(a)P-treated control group, whereas it reduced to 3.10 +/- 0.57 (P < 0.001) by a 2.5% dose and 3.11 +/- 0.60 (P <0.001) by a 5% dose of cumin seeds. Cervical carcinoma incidence, compared with the MCA-treated control group (66.67%), reduced to 27.27% (P < 0.05) by a diet of 5% cumin seeds and to 12.50% (P < 0.05) by a diet of 7.5% cumin seeds.
The effect of 2.5 and 5% cumin seed-mixed diets was also examined on carcinogen/xenobiotic metabolizing phase I and phase II enzymes, antioxidant enzymes, glutathione content, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and lipid peroxidation in the liver of Swiss albino mice. Levels of cytochrome P-450 (cyt P-450) and cytochrome b5 (cyt b(5)) were significantly augmented (P < 0.05) by the 2.5% dose of cumin seed diet. The levels of cyt P-450 reductase and cyt b(5) reductase were increased (significance level being from P < 0.05 to P < 0.01) by both doses of cumin. Among the phase II enzymes, glutathione S-transferase specific activity increased (P < 0.005) by the 5% dose, whereas that of DT-diaphorase increased significantly (P < 0.05) by both doses used (2.5 and 5%). In the antioxidant system, significant elevation of the specific activities of superoxide dismutase (P < 0.01) and catalase (P < 0.05) was observed with the 5% dose of cumin. The activities of glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase remained unaltered by both doses of cumin. The level of reduced glutathione measured as nonprotein sulfhydryl content was elevated (significance level being from P < 0.05 to P < 0.01) by both doses of cumin. Lipid peroxidation measured as formation of MDA production showed significant inhibition (P < 0.05 to P < 0.01) by both doses of cumin. LDH activity remained unaltered by both doses of cumin.
The results strongly suggest the cancer chemopreventive potentials of cumin seed and could be attributed to its ability to modulate carcinogen metabolism.
From Science News
"A spice takes on Alzheimer's disease."
(Biomedicine).(use of curcumin may reduce risk of Alzheimer's disease)(Brief Article)
Author/s:
Issue: Dec 8, 2001
India has one of the lowest rates of Alzheimer's disease in the world. A diet rich in curcumin, a spice used in yellow curry, may offer a potential explanation and a new therapy for the brain disorder, according to a new study.
Research over the past few years has documented that regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, significantly reduces a person's chance of developing Alzheimer's disease (SN: 8/12/00, p. 101). Yet physicians hesitate to recommend regular use of NSAIDs because the drugs can have serious side effects, including liver and kidney damage, when taken for extended periods.
Looking for a safer and perhaps better, option Greg M. Cole and Sally A. Frautschy of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have turned to curcumin. The spice has well-known anti-inflammatory properties and is safe even when people regularly ingest large amounts. Unlike NSAIDs, curcumin is also an antioxidant--it thwarts the damage caused by reactive molecules called free radicals. Such damage may contribute to Alzheimer's disease, the researchers note.
The UCLA scientists have tested curcumin on mice genetically engineered to develop the brain lesions called amyloid plaques, which characterize Alzheimer's disease. In one experiment, the plaque burden in mice eating food laced with curcumin was 43 percent less compared with that in mice not ingesting the spice. Eating curcumin also reduced inflammation and free radical damage in the mouse brains, the researchers report. --J.T.
Thanks. I'll increase both my cumin and pepper intake.
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