By Chioma Umeha
A recent study has identified that chillies could
help fight breast cancer after scientists revealed the spicy ingredient causes
diseased cells to self destruct.
Capsaicin, the active component that gives
chillies their trademark kick, can switch on specialised channels surrounding
cancer cells causing them to die.
Scientists from Ruhr-University in Bochum,
Germany, treated human samples of breast cancer cells with the hot ingredient
to find out more about its ability to destroy them.
The study also categorised the various subtypes of
breast cancer that respond to different types of treatment. The researchers
found that the triple-negative breast cancer is particularly aggressive and
difficult to treat.
This new study may have discovered a molecule
capable of slowing down this kind of cancer, an online report said Tuesday.
Genetic research has enabled scientists to
classify breast cancer into subtypes, which respond differently to various
kinds of treatment. The subtypes are categorized based on the presence or
absence of three receptors known to promote breast cancer namely, estrogen,
progesterone and epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).
Breast cancers that test positively for HER2
responds well to treatments, but there are breast cancers that test negative
for HER2, estrogen and progesterone known as the triple-negative breast cancer.
Studies have found that the triple-negative cancer is more difficult to treat,
with chemotherapy being the only option, according to MNT.
The researchers at the Ruhr University in Bochum,
Germany, tested the effects of a spicy molecule on cultivated tumour cells of
the triple-negative cancer. A compound in chili pepper could help slow this
subtype of breast cancer, the study authors said.
The researchers led by Dr. Hanns Hatt and Dr. Lea
Weber, collaborated with several institutions in Germany, including the
hospital Herz-Jesu-Krankenhaus in Dernbach, the Augusta clinics in Bochum and
the Centre of Genomics in Cologne.
They experimented on the effects of an active
ingredient commonly found in chili pepper called capsaicin on SUM149PT cell
culture – a model for triple-negative breast cancer. Capsaicin has also been
used to kill cell and inhibit the growth of cancer cell in several cancer types
including colon and pancreatic cancer.
They were motivated by the findings of existing
research on the topic, which suggests that several transient receptor potential
(TRP) channels influence cancer cell growth. The researchers explained that TRP
channels are membranous ion channels that conduct calcium and sodium ions, and
can be influenced by several stimuli including changes in temperature or pH,
according to World Times 24.
The TRP channel that plays a key role in the
development of diseases is the olfactory receptor TRPV1 – proteins located on
olfactory receptor cells lining of the nose which binds smell molecules
together.
The researchers investigated the expression of TRP
channels in a vast amount of breast cancer tissue and also analyse how TRPV1
could be used in breast cancer therapy.
They found several typical olfactory receptors in
the cultivated cells and the TRPV1 receptor appeared more frequently. The
olfactory receptor was activated by capsaicin and also by helional – a chemical
compound that produces the scent of fresh sea breeze.
The scientist found TRPV1 in the tumour cells of
nine different samples from breast cancer patients. They added capsaicin and
helional to the culture for several hours and even days which activated the
TRPV1 receptor in the cell culture.
Following the activation, the cancer cells died
slowly but tumor cells died in larger numbers thus leaving the remaining ones
weak and unable to move as quickly as before. This suggests that their ability
to metastasize was reduced.
However, the authors note that the intake of
capsaicin through food or inhalation would not be sufficient to treat the
triple-negative cancer, but a specially designed drug might help.
Breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer
in women around the world, with up to 1.7 million new cases diagnosed in 2012.
It is also the most common type of cancer in women in the U.S., irrespective of
race or ethnicity.
The researchers published their findings in Breast
Cancer: Targets and Therapy.
