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  • Title: Capsaicin induces apoptosis and terminal differentiation in human glioma A172 cells.
    Author: Gil YG, Kang MK.
    Journal: Life Sci; 2008 May 07; 82(19-20):997-1003. PubMed ID: 18405923.
    Abstract:
    Capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide), the major pungent ingredient of red pepper, has been reported to possess anti-carcinogenic and anti-mutagenic activities. In this study, the effects of capsaicin on human glioblastoma A172 cells were investigated. Treatment of A172 cells with capsaicin inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis through down-regulation of Bcl-2 and activation of caspase-3. Interestingly, synergistic induction of morphological alternation was observed when A172 cells were treated with capsaicin. A double immunostaining analysis indicated that capsaicin stimulated terminal differentiation predominantly to astrocyte-like cells. Moreover, capsaicin increased the transcription levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neuronal microtubule-associated protein 2ab (MAP2ab). These results demonstrated that capsaicin inhibits A172 cell growth through apoptosis and terminal differentiation. Consequently, this research may provide further support for capsaicin-based anti-tumor therapies and consideration should be given to developing capsaicin for use in chemotherapy for malignant human glioblastoma.
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