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Peppers have many health benefits, such as fighting inflammation, natural pain relief and boosting immunity. New research shows that it could help stop the spread of lung cancer.
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More specifically, it is the compound responsible for the heat of the peppers, called capsaicin, which could help slow down the metastases.
Fighting metastases
"Lung cancer and other cancers usually metastasize in secondary regions such as the brain, liver or bones, which makes them difficult to treat," said Jamie Friedman, Ph.D. candidate who led research in the laboratory of Piyali Dasgupta, PhD, Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine.
"Our study suggests that capsaicin, a natural red pepper compound, could constitute a new treatment for fighting metastasis in patients with lung cancer."
In their study, researchers discovered that capsaicin inhibited the cells to move into other tissues, the first step of the metastatic process. Other studies in mice with metastatic cancer revealed that those who consumed capsaicin had smaller areas of metastatic cancer cells in the lungs.
Inhibit Src
Additional research has shown that capsaicin inhibits lung cancer metastasis by counteracting the activation of Src protein. Src is a key regulator who is involved in the control of many functions such as cell membership growth, movement and differentiation.
"We hope that someday capsaicin can be used in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents to treat various lung cancers," Friedman said.
"However, the clinical use of capsaicin will require overcoming its unpleasant side effects, including gastrointestinal irritation, stomach cramps and a burning sensation."
The news is very important because lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women. C & # 39; in part because lung cancer is particularly difficult to treat.
The disease often has no symptoms until it has progressed to the metastatic stage. Once it has spread, nothing can be done to stop it.
Although further research is needed to truly assess the potential of capsaicin for cessation of metastatic growth, the potential for use in combination with other treatments such as chemotherapy is exciting. Researchers are now looking for non-pungent capsaicin analogues that retain anti-tumor activity to make the treatment easier to tolerate.
The study is published in Experimental biology.
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