Foods/Supplements-Vitamins: Capsaicin - Cayenne

[pjoshea13]

The active ingredient in cayenne peppers (hot chilli peppers - Capsicum annuum) is capsaicin.

Capsaicin, oddly, has a chemical structure similar to vanillin. There are vanilloid receptors in the body, & capsaicin is a ligand for them, i.e. can potentially bind to the receptors and activate them.

Anandamide, which is the natural ligand for cannabinoid receptors was also discovered to be a ligand for the TRPV1 vanilloid receptor in 2009. It had already been noted that there is a certain amount of promiscuity between ligands & the two families of receptors.

Also in 2009 [1]: "Recently, functional cannabinoid receptor-1 (CB1) and vanilloid receptor-1 (TRPV1) have been described in human prostate and prostate cancer-derived cell lines where the activation of the receptors resulted in inhibition of cellular growth."

"We also found that the expression of CB1 and TRPV1 (both at the protein and mRNA levels) were significantly up-regulated in PCa. However, while the increased expression of TRPV1 showed a proper correlation with increasing PCa tumor grades, such phenomenon was not observed with CB1."

"Our findings strongly argue for ... the CB1 and TRPV1 molecules as well as their ligands may indeed possess a promising future role in the treatment of PCa ..."

It almost seems too good to be true that PCa would over-express these receptors. I suppose that the up-regulation of CB1 & TRPV1 has no relevance in the absence of therapeutic ligands. Anyway, cannabis (THC / CBD) & the cannabinoid receptors are a separate topic - I just wanted to note the connection with vanilloid receptors & their ligands.

[2] (2006 - Spain) "To study the in vivo effects of capsaicinoids, PC-3 cells were grown as xenografts in nude mice. Subcutaneous injection of either capsaicin or capsazepine (5 mg/kg body weight) in nude mice suppressed PC-3 tumor growth in all tumors investigated and induced apoptosis of tumor cells."

[3] (2006 - U.S.) "Capsaicin is the major pungent ingredient in red peppers. Here, we report that it has a profound antiproliferative effect on prostate cancer cells, inducing the apoptosis of both androgen receptor (AR)-positive (LNCaP) and -negative (PC-3, DU-145) prostate cancer cell lines associated with an increase of p53, p21, and Bax. Capsaicin down-regulated the expression of not only prostate-specific antigen (PSA) but also AR. Promoter assays showed that capsaicin inhibited the ability of dihydrotestosterone to activate the PSA promoter/enhancer even in the presence of exogenous AR in LNCaP cells, suggesting that capsaicin inhibited the transcription of PSA not only via down-regulation of expression of AR, but also by a direct inhibitory effect on PSA transcription. Capsaicin inhibited NF-κ activation by preventing its nuclear migration. In further studies, capsaicin inhibited tumor necrosis factor-α–stimulated degradation of IκBα in PC-3 cells, which was associated with the inhibition of proteasome activity. Taken together, capsaicin inhibits proteasome activity which suppressed the degradation of IκBα, preventing the activation of NF-κB. Capsaicin, when given orally, significantly slowed the growth of PC-3 prostate cancer xenografts as measured by size"

[4] (2010 - Canada) I hesitated to include this paper, since it involves a single case. But the patient's PSA doubling time was 4 weeks when he began using "2.5 mL of habaneros chili sauce" ....

[5] (2010 - Spain) This is the first to report: "In androgen-sensitive prostate cancer cells, capsaicin exerts a biphasic effect, promoting growth at low doses and inducing apoptosis at doses over 200 µM."

[6] (2015 - Canada) "Radio-sensitizing agents sensitize tumor cells to the lethal effects of radiotherapy (RT) allowing for use of lower doses of radiation to achieve equivalent cancer control, while minimizing adverse effects to normal tissues."

"Athymic mice (n = 40) were inoculated with human LNCaP cells. Once tumors reached 100 mm(3) , animals were randomized into four groups: control, capsaicin alone (5 mg/kg/d), RT alone (6 Gy), and capsaicin and RT."

"In vivo, oral administration of capsaicin with RT resulted in a 'greater than additive' growth delay and reduction in the tumor growth rate greater than capsaicin (P < 0.001) or RT (P < 0.03) alone. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed a reduction in proliferation and NFκB expression, and increase in DNA damage."

[7] (2015 - Canada) Another mouse study. "Mice in the control group expressed an overall trend of higher-grade disease". "The capsaicin group ... demonstrated a significant reduction ... in the metastatic burden compared to the controls ..."

[8] (2015 - China) A cell study that reported: "Capsaicin causes inactivation and degradation of the androgen receptor ..."

I didn't think there was much point in looking for a capsaicin clinical trial, but there is one [Ta]. It was supposed to be completed this month, but the status is given as: "This study is not yet open for participant recruitment."

The researcher is: "Dr. Laurence Klotz, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre". Dr. Myers has said nice things about him. He was also involved in [6] & [7]. Also [4] is a Sunnybrook study.

Full study title: "CAPSAICIN Trial: A Prospective Study of Capsaicin in Subjects With Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer Undergoing Active Surveillance or Radical Prostatectomy".

"Dietary Supplement: Capsaicin Supplement (Cayenne by Nature's Way)

One capsule of the supplement to be taken twice daily.

Other Name: Naturesway Cayenne 40,000 H.U."

I use that brand, but the 100,000 H.U. (heat units) dose:

swansonvitamins.com/natures...

If you think it strange that there should be a PCa-capsaicin trial, there are 188 other capsaicin trials on ClinicalTrials.gov [Tb].

-Patrick

[1] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/188...

[2] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/163...

[3] cancerres.aacrjournals.org/...

[4] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[5] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/210...

[6] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/253...

[7] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/260...

[8] ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/260...

[Ta] clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show...

[Tb] clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/resu...

[joeoconnell]

what is the readers digest version of this ?

[Hidden]

Thanks . Love them peppers. Don’t know if theyre feeding some of my hot flashes though? I thought I read your post about indomethacyn . Please forgive me if it wasn’t you. My mom started the indo 20 yrs ago for osteoporosis arthritis . She raved how these little clear pills twice a day helped her so much . That was until 3 yrs ago when her Dr. Told her to stop it. It destroyed her kidnies.She stopped it and immediately her 88 yrs old hand drew up into claws and the return of much pain. Now she has stage #4 kidney impairment . If not for this she might have lived to 100. Now 91 she is deteriorating rapidly.. It did give her 20 yrs pain free. It works but long term can destroy the kidnies. For most of us that probably don’t have any promise of twenty more years . Go for it.

[GeorgeGlass]

Patrick, do the 100,000 Hu pills hurt your stomach or stomach lining at all? I've had issues with GERD before. These pills must be easier on your stomach than eating habanero sauce etc, right? I assume that pills are just as effective as eating the raw peppers or the sauce, right?

[pjoshea13 in reply to GeorgeGlass]

George,

Unlike black pepper, which is a stomach irritant, capsaicin is gentle on the stomach.

Oddly, 100,000 HUs does not upset any part of my GI tract.

I wonder what the metabolic fate of capsaicin is?

-Patrick

[Currumpaw in reply to GeorgeGlass]

Hey GeorgeGlass!

A friend is the manager of a Vitamin Shoppe. He has a customer that had severe GERD. The customer told him that by taking a forkful of fermented sauerkraut morning and night that he was able to stop his meds for it. The kraut was more effective than the meds that had failed to control it.

Currumpaw

[GeorgeGlass in reply to Currumpaw]

I have a new jar in my fridge that's been sitting for 2 months. Maybe I'll try your recommendation. My issue is that it's unkown what the issue is. I dont think it's Gerd. I think it's something like: gastritis, sibo or IBS. Now I have problems with my back, probably from Lupron. It's so hard to keep the right posture and phys therapy everyday. I might go to the surgery center in a few months if I cant resolve it with phys therapy.

[Currumpaw in reply to GeorgeGlass]

Hey George Glass!

The type of sauerkraut that works for GERD is fermented. Whole foods carries it. It is expensive and in the refrigerated section. It sounds like you have fermented sauerkraut. Look at the use by date.

Your back may be helped by a "gentle" and experienced chiropractor that uses an activator rather than relying on manual adjustment. An activator is very gentle.

As hard as it is to do when it hurts, exercise will help your back. Try yoga. You should find that it will help you. Talk to the yogi and explain your problem as you have written here. Call yoga studios to see which will best match your needs.

A high quality fish oil and a supplement such as Joint Vibrance will be helpful. One can't repoint bricks without mortar. Make certain you can take these supps.

Currumpaw

[GeorgeGlass in reply to Currumpaw]

Thanks currumpaw, I appreciate your help! I have wildbrine (refrigerated). It has a sell by date of 6 weeks from now so I can still eat it. I'll start today. It is fermented. I am on Vascepa and tolerating it well. I'll look into joint vibrance. I have a yoga place right down the street from here. I just need to make time for it. Thanks again for the great advice.

[GeorgeGlass]

do you think the potency of this product would still be effective? : smile.amazon.com/Natures-Wa...

[pjoshea13 in reply to GeorgeGlass]

George,

Same brand as the 100,000, but only 40,000 HUs.

Why not start out with that. You can always try the other one later.

-Patrick

[GeorgeGlass in reply to pjoshea13]

that's why I was thinking, plus it is a formula that is supposed to reduce the heat effect. I'll try it after I finish my two week PPI treatment.

thanks a lot,

George

[Currumpaw]

Hey pjoshea13!

Thank YOU for reposting this. I wasn't on HU at the time you posted this. As always, your posts are very good reading!

Hard to say capsaicin doesn't, but easy to say that it looks very promising. There is just too much data. When looking at the data, much of which is informal, and the limited profit to be made, it is self explanatory.

I worked in pharmaceuticals for over 14 years. It takes money to build the facility, equip it, obtain licenses, purchase raw materials, bring in the talent and have the failed experimental drug runs disposed of.

My mother grew bushel baskets of hot peppers one year. A little land, some seeds, she was surprised at the harvest.

Currumpaw