Studies Shows Capsaicine Kills Prostate Cancer Cells

Capsaicin, also known as the spicy element, is a high value-added product extracted from the solanaceae plant chilli and an extremely spicy vanilamide alkaloid. It is commonly used in creams to help relieve pain, and recent studies have shown that high doses of capsaicin can help kill prostate cancer cells.

About a decade ago, scientists reported that capsaicin helped to kill prostate cancer cells in mice, but not healthy cells. Converting it to a dose suitable for humans may require an individual to consume large amounts of chilli every day; Understanding how capsaicin works could help scientists develop new drugs that can be given by injection or pill to treat prostate cancer.

Capsaicin can stay in a membrane close to the surface of the cell, and enough capsaicin effectively promote cell membrane separation and thus kill cancer cells. Further research is needed to develop new strategies based on capsaicin to help fight cancer and other diseases.