Chili Peppers may Exhibit Antitumor Effect on Mesothelioma Cancer Cells: Study

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.”

Reference:

Emanuela Andretta et al, Capsaicin Exerts Antitumor Activity in Mesothelioma Cells, Nutrients (2024). DOI: 10.3390/nu16213758.