Chili Peppers Exhibit Antitumor Effect on Mesothelioma Cancer Cells

Capsaicin, the compound in chili peppers which gives them their spicy taste, may become a source of new, natural drugs for the hard-to-treat Mesothelioma type of cancer. 

Mesothelioma is a very aggressive cancer with very poor survival and limited therapeutic options, commonly, but not always, associated with exposure to asbestos.  

The paper, “Capsaicin Exerts Antitumor Activity in Mesothelioma Cells,” describes the discovery in the international-peer-reviewed journal Nutrients.

In this study, the authors demonstrated that treatment of various mesothelioma cell lines covering all mesothelioma subtypes inhibits several biological parameters of transformation. In addition, these results supported an antitumor effect of capsaicin on cisplatin-resistant mesothelioma cells, suggesting that it may enhance therapy by reducing resistance to cisplatin.

“This research could pave the way for further studies to evaluate the use of capsaicin for mesothelioma treatment,” says Antonio Giordano, M.D., Ph.D., President of the Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO) and Professor at Temple University. “There is evidence that capsaicin may sensitize mesothelioma cells to chemotherapy, making treatment more effective, and that it may reduce the spread of mesothelioma.”

Researchers collaborating on the study include scientists from the Sbarro Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, part of SHRO, and the Center for Biotechnology at Temple University, including Dr. Emanuela Andretta, Dr. Aurora Costa, Dr. Elisa Ventura, Dr. Antonio Giordano and Dr. Andrea Morrione, in collaboration with Dr. Massimiliano Quintiliani from SHRO Italia and Dr. Sara Damiano and Dr. Roberto Ciarcia from University of Naples “Federico II”, Italy.

About the Sbarro Health Research Organization

The Sbarro Health Research Organization (SHRO) is non-profit charity committed to funding excellence in basic genetic research to cure and diagnose cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other chronic illnesses and to foster the training of young doctors in a spirit of professionalism and humanism. To learn more about the SHRO please visit www.shro.org.