辣椒素抗肿瘤作用研究进展

Research progress on antitumor ef ect of capsaicin

辣椒是人们日常生活中常用的香料和调味品,其主要辛辣成分为辣椒素。研究显示,辣椒素药理作用广泛,具有镇痛、止痒、抗炎、抗氧化及调节血压等作用。近年来的研究结果表明,辣椒素不仅能够抑制多种恶性肿瘤组织的生长,而且能够在体内外发挥抑制肿瘤血管生成的作用。本文对辣椒素的生理功能及其在体内的代谢途径以及辣椒素受体进行综述,重点阐述近年来辣椒素及其受体与癌症之间关系的研究进展,探讨辣椒素临床应用的局限性以及食用辣椒及辣椒素的潜在危害,以期为肿瘤研究工作者的后续研究提供重要参考。

Pepper is commonly used as spices and seasoning in people＇s daily life, and its main pungent component is capsaicin. Recent studies have suggested that capsaicin has broad pharmacological effects, including pain and itch relief, anti-inflammation, anti-oxidation and regulation of blood pressure. In recent years, research results showed that, capsaicin can not only inhibit the growth of malignant tumors, but also inhibit tumor angiogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. This article mainly reviews the recent progress in capsaicin and its receptors as well as their associations with cancer. The clinical limitation of capsaicin and its potential harmfulness of eating capsaicin are also discussed in this article, which may provide valuable references for future studies for investigators being engaged in cancer research.