Capsaicin: A Two-Decade Systematic Review of Global Research Output and Recent Advances Against Human Cancer (2022) - LINK

• The last two decades have witnessed an increasing rate (an average of ca. 18% growth yearly) in the number of publications (dominated by research articles at 93%) following the renewed interest in capsaicin research.
• Capsaicin is an incontestably thrilling molecule and remains a valued drug for easing pain. Currently, capsaicin is in the third phase (phase III) of clinical trials as an analgesic agent for musculoskeletal, chronic/acute, arthritis, neuropathic, and postoperative pains.
• The utilization of capsaicin as a therapeutic agent stems from its relatively selective capacity to excite and or cause neuroinhibitory action (capsaicin desensitization) of a subpopulation of afferent neurons [transient receptor potential channel vanilloid (TRPV1)] receptors, which reduces the number of nerve fibers that respond to painful stimuli.
• Capsaicin has shown wide applicability against several types of cancer through the induction of apoptosis and arrest of cell cycle progression.
• Chemoprevention refers to the use of chemotherapeutic agents that hinders and halts the development of tumor before the onset of tumor cell invasion. Capsaicin has shown significant prospects as an effective chemopreventive agent.
• Capsaicin elicits a biphasic anticancer action, acting directly to scavenge free radicals and upregulating the expression of several antioxidant enzymes. This profound free radical scavenging activity gives credence to the ability of the compound to mitigate oxidative stress conditions, which have been implicated in cellular dysfunction vis-a-vis the development of cancer.
• Over the years, dietary phytochemicals such as capsaicin have shown attractive cell cycle regulation activity, thereby halting cellular division of cancer cells.
• In human small cell lung cancer, capsaicin displays potent antineoplastic activity by increasing TRPV6 expression, causing increased levels of intracellular calcium ions activating the calpain pathway to induce apoptosis.
• Capsaicin has been shown to mitigate cancer metastasis due to the ability to modulate critical pathways involved in molecular alterations of cancer.

Capsaicin may have important potential for promoting vascular and metabolic health (2015) - LINK

• In rodent studies, capsaicin-rich diets have shown favourable effects on atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver, cardiac hypertrophy, hypertension and stroke risk.
• Clinically, ingestion of capsaicin—or its less stable non-pungent analogue capsiate—has been shown to boost metabolic rate modestly.
• Topical application of capsaicin via patch was found to increase exercise time to ischaemic threshold in patients with angina.

Antioxidant, Anti-Obesity, Nutritional and Other Beneficial Effects of Different Chili Pepper: A Review (2022) - LINK

• “This review article serves as a reference guide for use of chili peppers as anti-obesity agents.”
• Bioactive compounds and vitamin C present in chili pepper are of great therapeutic importance as they have anti-inflammatory activities on preadipocytes differentiation and cellular oxidation.