Jalapeno Peppers Kill Cancer

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American Association for Cancer Research

Pepper component hot enough to trigger suicide in prostate cancer

cells

Capsaicin, the stuff that turns up the heat in jalapeños, not only

causes the tongue to burn, it also drives prostate cancer cells to

kill themselves, according to studies published in the March 15 issue

of Cancer Research.

According to a team of researchers from the Oschin

Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in

collaboration with colleagues from UCLA, the pepper component caused

human prostate cancer cells to undergo programmed cell death or

apoptosis.

Capsaicin induced approximately 80 percent of prostate cancer cells

growing in mice to follow the molecular pathways leading to

apoptosis. Prostate cancer tumors treated with capsaicin were about

one-fifth the size of tumors in non-treated mice.

" Capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative effect on human prostate

cancer cells in culture, " said Sören Lehmann, M.D., Ph.D., visiting

scientist at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the UCLA School of

Medicine. " It also dramatically slowed the development of prostate

tumors formed by those human cell lines grown in mouse models. "

Lehmann estimated that the dose of pepper extract fed orally to the

mice was equivalent to giving 400 milligrams of capsaicin three times

a week to a 200 pound man, roughly equivalent to between three and

eight fresh habañera peppers – depending on the pepper's capsaicin

content. Habañeras are the highest rated pepper for capsaicin content

according to the Scoville heat index. Habañero peppers, which are

native to the Yucatan, typically contain up to 300,000 Scoville

units. The more popular Jalapeño variety from Oaxaca, Mexico, and the

southwest United States, contains 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units.

As described in their study, the scientists observed that capsaicin

inhibited the activity of NF-kappa Beta, a molecular mechanism that

participates in the pathways leading to apoptosis in many cell types.

Apoptosis is a normal cellular event in many tissues that maintains a

balance between newer replacement cells and aged or worn cells. In

contrast, cancer cells seek to be immortal and often dodge apoptosis

by mutating or deregulating the genes that participate in programmed

cell death.

" When we noticed that capsaicin affected NF-kappa Beta, that was an

indication that we might expect some of the apoptotic proteins to be

affected, " said the study's senior author, Koeffler, M.D.,

director of Hematology and Oncology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and

professor at UCLA.

The pepper extract also curbed the growth of prostate cancer cells

through regulation of androgen receptors, the steroid activated

proteins that control expression of specific growth relating genes.

In prostate cancer cells whose growth is dependent on testosterone,

the predominant male sex steroid, capsaicin reduced cell

proliferation in a dose-dependent manner. Increased concentrations of

capsaicin caused more prostate cancer cells to freeze in a non-

proliferative state, called G0/G1.

Prostate cancer cells that are androgen independent reacted to

capsaicin in a similar manner. Capsaicin reduced the amount of

androgen receptor that the tumor cells produced, but did not

interfere with normal movement of androgen receptor into the nucleus

of the cancer cells where the steroid receptor acts to regulate

androgen target genes such as prostate specific antigen (PSA).

Capsaicin also interfered with the action of androgen receptors even

in cells that were modified to produce excess numbers of androgen

receptors.

The hot pepper component also reduced cancer cell production of PSA,

a protein that often is produced in high quantities by prostate

tumors and can signal the presence of prostate cancer in men. PSA

content in the blood of men is used as a diagnostic prostate cancer

screening measure. PSA is regulated by androgens, and capsaicin

limited androgen-induced increases of PSA in the cancer cell lines.

More men in the United States develop prostate cancer than any other

type of malignancy. Every year, more than 232,000 new cases of

prostate cancer are diagnosed in the U.S., and more than 680,000

develop the disease worldwide. Approximately 30,000 men die from

prostate cancer in the U.S. each year, which is about 13 percent of

all new cases. Worldwide, there are 221,000 deaths – approximately 31

per cent – among men with prostate cancer.

Lehman conducted the studies in Koeffler's laboratory in

collaboration with UCLA cancer researchers Akio Mori, O',

Takishi Kumagai, n Desmond, Milena Pervan, and McBride.

Mosahiro Kizaki, a former post-doctoral fellow in Koeffler's

laboratory who initiated the capsaicin studies, is currently at the

Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

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The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to

prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world's oldest

and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer

research. Our members include more than 24,000 basic, translational,

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countries. AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the

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and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and

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latest discoveries and developments. Special Conferences throughout

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reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research;

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Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, as well as CR, a magazine

about people and progress in cancer.