Capsaicin: A chili pepper bioactive phytocompound with a potential role in suppressing cancer development and progression.
Phytother Res
; 38(3): 1191-1223, 2024 Mar.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38176910
ABSTRACT
Cancer profoundly influences morbidity and fatality rates worldwide. Patients often have dismal prognoses despite recent improvements in cancer therapy regimens. However, potent biomolecules derived from natural sources, including medicinal and dietary plants, contain biological and pharmacological properties to prevent and treat various human malignancies. Capsaicin is a bioactive phytocompound present in red hot chili peppers. Capsaicin has demonstrated many biological effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticarcinogenic capabilities. This review highlights the cellular and molecular pathways through which capsaicin exhibits antineoplastic activities. Our work also depicts the synergistic anticancer properties of capsaicin in conjunction with other natural bioactive components and approved anticancer drugs. Capsaicin inhibits proliferation in various cancerous cells, and its antineoplastic actions in numerous in vitro and in vivo carcinoma models impact oncogenesis, tumor-promoting and suppressor genes, and associated signaling pathways. Capsaicin alone or combined with other phytocompounds or approved antineoplastic drugs triggers cell cycle progression arrest, generating reactive oxygen species and disrupting mitochondrial membrane integrity, ultimately stimulating caspases and promoting death. Furthermore, capsaicin alone or in combination can promote apoptosis in carcinoma cells by enhancing the p53 and c-Myc gene expressions. In conclusion, capsaicin alone or in combination can have enormous potential for cancer prevention and intervention, but further high-quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of this phytocompound.
Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Capsicum
/
Carcinoma
/
Antineoplastic Agents
Limits:
Humans
Language:
En
Journal:
Phytother Res
Journal subject:
TERAPIAS COMPLEMENTARES
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
India