OBJECTIVE The effects of capsaicin on sensory neurons are mediated by its interaction with a specific membrane receptor and opening of a non-selective cation channel. In the rat heart, capsaicin-sensitive nerve endings are known to be activated by oxygen radicals. We investigated the possibility that free oxygen radicals stimulate sensory nerve endings by acting upon the capsaicin receptor. M...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-ninenamide), a compound found in hot peppers, has been reported to have different physiological actions on different cell types. Not much work has been done about the effect of capsaicin on the function of interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC). In the present study, we examined the action of external application of capsaicin on pacemaker activity in ...

We have previously shown that the male sex steroid testosterone inhibits slightly, but the female sex steroid 17beta-estradiol (E(2)) potentiates dramatically, the capsaicin receptor-mediated current in rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. Here, we used pharmacological methods and the nociceptive behavioral test to determine whether there is a sex difference in capsaicin-induced acute pain i...

TRPV1 (vanilloid receptor 1) receptors are activated by a variety of ligands such as capsaicin, as well as by acidic conditions and temperatures above 42 degrees C. These activators can enhance the potency of one another, shifting the activation curve for TRPV1 to the left. In this study, for example, we observed an approximately 10-fold shift in the capsaicin EC50 (640 nM to 45 nM) for rat TRP...

BACKGROUND Type 1 vanilloid receptors (TRPV1) have been described on esophageal afferent sensitive neurons. Stimulation of TRPV1 receptors with capsaicin may induce heartburn. Capsaicin is the pungent component of chili and the most extensively studied TRPV1 agonist. OBJECTIVES To investigate the effect of esophageal stimulation with intraesophageal capsaicin administration on induction of es...

When capsaicin, the pungent compound in hot pepper, is applied to epithelia it produces pain, allodynia, and hyperalgesia. We investigated, using whole cell path clamp, whether some of these responses induced by capsaicin could be a consequence of capsaicin blocking I(A) currents, a reduction in which, such as occurs in injury, increases neuronal excitability. In capsaicin-sensitive (CS) rat tr...

Noxious heat is able to activate heat-sensitive nociceptors in the skin very rapidly, but little is known about the mechanisms by which heat is transduced. We used the whole-cell patch-clamp technique to study the effects of noxious heat and capsaicin on freshly dissociated rat dorsal root ganglion neurons in vitro. Using temperatures between 41 degrees C and 53 degrees C, 8 of 19 small neurons...

Protein kinase CKII (CKII), a heterotetramer composed of two catalytic (alpha or alpha') subunits and two regulatory (beta) subunits, plays a critical role in cell proliferation and anti-apoptosis. Recently, capsaicin was shown to trigger apoptosis. Therefore, we examined the effect of capsaicin on CKII activity. Although capsaicin induced apoptotic death in HeLa cells, CKII activity was increa...

Capsaicin is a major constituent of hot chili peppers that influences lipid metabolism in animals. In this study, we explored the effects of capsaicin on adipogenic differentiation of bovine bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The BMSCs were treated with various concentrations of capsaicin (0, 0.1, 1, 5, and 10 μM) for 2, 4, and 6 days. Capsaicin sup...

Purpose: Pruritus ani is a common and embarrassing proctological condition which can be very difficult to treat. We report the results of a double blind placebo controlled study of treatment with capsaicin. Methods: Firstly, a pilot open study was carried out on five patients to establish which of two doses was the most acceptable by comparing effectiveness and side effects. Secondly, a double ...