Capsaicin, injected into the arterial supply of the skinned hindlimb of dogs, evokes reflex increases in cardiovascular function. Moreover, the cardiovascular reflexes evoked by capsaicin are very similar to those evoked by static exercise. The afferent fibers initiating these reflex increases have not been identified electrophysiologically, although their endings are believed to be located in ...

Capsaicin, the component responsible for the pungency of chili peppers, shows beneficial effects in many diseases, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In the present study, the potential targets of capsaicin were predicted using PharmMapper and confirmed via chemical-protein interactome (CPI) and molecular docking. Carbonic anhydrase 2 was identified as the main disease-related t...

Topical capsaicin is believed to alleviate pain by desensitizing the vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1) at the peripheral nerve endings. Here, we report that an up-regulation of VR1 expression on myelinated fibers contributes to the antihyperalgesic effect of capsaicin cream in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic neuropathic pain. Intravenous injection of STZ (200 mg/kg) in mice caused rapid onset of...

Patch-clamp electrophysiological methods were used on dissociated rat nodose neurons maintained in culture to determine whether responses to cholecystokinin (CCK) were associated with capsaicin-resistant (A type) or capsaicin-sensitive (C type) neurons. Nodose neurons were classified as A or C type on the basis of the characteristics of the Na+ current, a hyperpolarization-activated current, an...

The heat/capsaicin sensitization and intradermal capsaicin injection models are safe and noninvasive paradigms to generate stable, long-lasting, and reproducible injury capable of producing an area of both primary and secondary hyperalgesia. Risk of skin injury is substantially reduced since lower levels of thermal and chemical irritation produce long-lasting cutaneous hyperalgesia. Rekindling ...

Colon cancer is one of most common malignancies in the world. Capsaicin is a major component of chili peppers and has been shown to possess anti-cancer activity against various types of cancers. There is currently a limited number of preclinical studies that test the anti-cancer effects of capsaicin in colon cancer. The first objective of the present study is to investigate whether capsaicin in...

Transient receptor potential channel, vanilloid subfamily member 1 (TRPV1) receptors were identified in human esophageal squamous epithelial cell line HET-1A by RT-PCR and by Western blot. In fura-2 AM-loaded cells, the TRPV1 agonist capsaicin caused a fourfold cytosolic calcium increase, supporting a role of TRPV1 as a capsaicin-activated cation channel. Capsaicin increased production of plate...

In our previous study, we showed that capsaicin induces autophagy in several cell lines. Here, we investigated the molecular mechanisms of capsaicin-induced autophagy in malignant (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and normal (MCF10A) human breast cells. Capsaicin caused nonapoptotic cell cycle arrest of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells but induced apoptosis in MCF10A cells. In MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, capsai...

Compensatory adrenal growth, in which one gland undergoes hyperplasia after removal of the other, is mediated by a neural reflex. In the present studies, a method employing capsaicin to selectively remove adrenal sensory fibers was developed and applied to determine whether adrenal capsaicin-sensitive fibers participate in compensatory adrenal growth. The splanchnic nerves of anesthetized male ...

Transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) can be activated by multiple chemical and physical stimuli such as capsaicin, anandamide, protons, and heat. Capsaicin interacts with the binding pocket constituted by transmembrane regions 3 and 4, whereas protons act through residues in the prepore loop of TRPV1. Here, we report on characterization of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies t...