Triple negative breast cancer is particularly aggressive and very difficult to treat (chemotherapy is the only option). Now, research at the Ruhr University in Bochum (Germany) may have discovered a molecule that slows down this type of cancer.
The experts, led by Hanns Hatt and Lea Weber, tested the effects of a spicy molecule found in chili or pepper, called capsaicin , on cultured tumor cells of this aggressive type of cancer (SUM149PT, a model for breast cancer triple negative).
Recent research had suggested that various potential transient receptors influence cancer cell growth (these in turn can be influenced by various stimuli, including changes in temperature or pH).
The experts focused on the TRPV1 olfactory receptor (normally found on the fifth cranial nerve) in cultured cells, finding that it appeared very frequently: they found TRPV1 in tumor cells from nine different samples from breast cancer patients.
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Adding capsaicin to the culture for several hours or days activated the TRPV1 receptor in the cell culture. As a result of the activated TRPV1, cancer cells died more slowly and in greater numbers , and the remaining cells were not able to move as fast as before. This suggests that their ability to metastasize was reduced.
Implications for the treatment of breast cancer
The authors point out that an intake of capsaicin through food or by inhalation would be insufficient to treat triple negative cancer. However, designing specially designed drugs could help enormously : “If we could activate the TRPV1 receptor with specific drugs, it could be a new approach to treatment for this type of cancer,” says Hanns Hatt, lead author of the study.
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The findings have been published in the journal Breast Cancer: Targets and Therapy.
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