More than a spice: capsaicin in hot chili peppers makes tumor cells commit suicide

Hot red chili peppers, which belong to the plant genus Cap-sicum, are among the most heavily and frequently consumed spices throughout the world. Their principal pungent ingredient is the phenolic substance capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide). Although capsaicin can cause neurogenic inflam-mation per se under certain physiologic conditions, it also has analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities and is used currently in topical creams and gels (e.g., Axsain and Zostrix) to mitigate neurogenic pain. A receptor for capsaicin and other structurally related substances was identified and cloned (1–3). This recep-tor, vanilloid receptor subtype 1 (VR1), forms a nonselective cation channel in the plasma membrane that mediates some of the pleiotropic effects exerted by capsaicin and its analogues, which are collectively named vanilloids. The role of capsaicin in carcinogenic processes is quite con