PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Jamie R. Friedman
AU  - Nicholas A. Nolan
AU  - Kathleen C. Brown
AU  - Sarah L. Miles
AU  - Austin T. Akers
AU  - Kate W. Colclough
AU  - Jessica M. Seidler
AU  - John M. Rimoldi
AU  - Monica A. Valentovic
AU  - Piyali Dasgupta
TI  - Anticancer Activity of Natural and Synthetic Capsaicin Analogs
AID  - 10.1124/jpet.117.243691
DP  - 2018 Mar 01
TA  - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
PG  - 462--473
VI  - 364
IP  - 3
4099  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/364/3/462.short
4100  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/364/3/462.full
SO  - J Pharmacol Exp Ther2018 Mar 01; 364
AB  - The nutritional compound capsaicin is the major spicy ingredient of chili peppers. Although traditionally associated with analgesic activity, recent studies have shown that capsaicin has profound antineoplastic effects in several types of human cancers. However, the applications of capsaicin as a clinically viable drug are limited by its unpleasant side effects, such as gastric irritation, stomach cramps, and burning sensation. This has led to extensive research focused on the identification and rational design of second-generation capsaicin analogs, which possess greater bioactivity than capsaicin. A majority of these natural capsaicinoids and synthetic capsaicin analogs have been studied for their pain-relieving activity. Only a few of these capsaicin analogs have been investigated for their anticancer activity in cell culture and animal models. The present review summarizes the current knowledge of the growth-inhibitory activity of natural capsaicinoids and synthetic capsaicin analogs. Future studies that examine the anticancer activity of a greater number of capsaicin analogs represent novel strategies in the treatment of human cancers.