Guest guest Posted March 16, 2001 Report Share Posted March 16, 2001 Peppers Put the " Heat " on Pests > > ___________________________________________ > > > > ARS News Service > > Agricultural Research Service, USDA > > March 15, 2001 > > Jan Suszkiw, (301) 504-1630, jsuszkiw@... > > ___________________________________________ > > > > Cayenne pepper, a popular spice for flavoring food, is known for its > > heat-producing properties from the substance capsaicin. Agricultural > > Research Service scientists also have found that cayenne peppers contain > > another potent substance in the saponin chemical family that kills several > > noxious fungi and yeasts. > > > > And because this pepper saponin, called CAY-1, is not toxic to human cells > > at microbial-killing doses, MycoLogics, Inc., a Denver, Colorado, firm, has > > begun testing its potential as a candidate drug for treating patients with > > fungal infections. MycoLogics is doing so under an agreement with ARS's > > Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans, La., according to > > DeLucca, a microbiologist there. > > > > He and chemists Bland and Craig Vigo discovered CAY-1 during research > > to identify plant compounds that could be used as crop protectants against > > spoilage microorganisms such as Aspergillus fungi, which make aflatoxins. > > Cayenne peppers topped an unusual list of organisms--including Cecropia > > moths, tree frogs, and bacteria--that produce other novel antifungal > > compounds. > > > > Though CAY-1 proved active against Aspergillus and other important microbial > > crop pests, DeLucca speculated its properties might also interest medical > > researchers seeking candidate drug compounds to fight emerging fungal > > threats to human health. That curiosity led to collaborative studies with > > National Institutes of Health scientist Tom Walsh, University of Cincinnati > > researcher Melanine Cushion, and MycoLogic president Claude Seltrennikoff. > > > > In a paper undergoing peer review, they report results from bioassay studies > > in which germinating and non-germinating cultures of four bacterial, six > > fungal and one yeast species were exposed to different CAY-1 concentrations. > > For example, in one test against Candida albicans, which causes thrush and > > other human infections, a 2.6 microgram-per-milliliter dose curbed the > > microbe's growth by 93 percent. Additionally, none of the antimicrobial > > concentrations used caused harm to human cervix cell cultures. CAY-1 also > > wasn't toxic to cells from lung tissue, where Aspergillus and Pneumocystis > > carinii fungi can cause serious infections in immuno-compromised patients. > > > > ARS, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency, > > has filed a patent on CAY-1. > > > > ___________________________________________ > > > > Scientific contact: Tony J. De Lucca, ARS Southern Regional Research Center, > > New Orleans, La., phone (504) 286-4253, fax (504) 286-4419, > > adelucca@.... > > ___________________________________________ > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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