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Spicy Spin on Treating Prostate Cancer
March 15, 2006 -- A natural chemical in hot peppers may become a tool in treating prostate cancer.
The chemical is called capsaicin. It puts the kick in jalapenos, habaneros, and other hot peppers.
A study in Cancer Research shows that capsaicin thwarted prostate cancer cells in lab tests. Capsaicin prompted cancer cells to die and curbed tumor growth, the study shows.
However, capsaicin wasn't tested on people. The experiments were done on prostate cancer cells, including those injected into mice.
The researchers included H. Phillip Koeffler, MD. He works at the University of California at Los Angeles and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Fiery Chemical
The researchers didn't feed hot peppers to mice. Instead, they used isolated capsaicin in their experiments, noting capsaicin's long use in food additives and drugs.
Normally, cells live for a certain amount of time, and then die. That natural process goes haywire in cancer. Cancer cells live way too long, giving them time to grow and spread.
Koeffler's team found that capsaicin interrupted that chaos in prostate cancer cells by blocking a chemical called NF-kB.
Normally, NF-kB is inactive, the researchers note. But in cancer, NF-kB becomes active, possibly due to DNA damage. Active NF-kB then filters into the command center (nucleus) of cells, hijacking operations to override the normal cell-death process, leading to cancer.
Capsaicin sidelined NF-kB in Koeffler's tests. Capsaicin was also linked to lower levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA); high blood levels of PSA may signal prostate cancer.
Cancer is complicated, involving more chemicals than just NF-kB. However, Koeffler's team says capsaicin is tolerable and should be tested in men with prostate cancer.
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Indication
Uroxatral® (alfuzosin HCl 10 mg extended-release tablets) is an alpha1-blocker for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of BPH.
Important Safety Information
Do not take UROXATRAL if you have liver problems or if you are taking antifungal drugs like ketoconazole or itraconazole, or HIV drugs like ritonavir.
UROXATRAL can cause a sudden drop in blood pressure, especially when starting treatment. This may lead to fainting, dizziness, and lightheadedness. Do not drive, operate machinery, or do any dangerous activity until you know how UROXATRAL will affect you. This is especially important if you already have a problem with low blood pressure or take medicines to treat high blood pressure. There may be an increased risk of low blood pressure and fainting when taking UROXATRAL in combination with blood pressure medication or nitrates, or erectile dysfunction medication.
If considering cataract surgery (clouding of the eyes), tell your eye surgeon that you are currently taking UROXATRAL or have previously been treated with an alpha-blocker.
Before taking UROXATRAL, tell your doctor if you have kidney problems.
Also, tell your doctor if you or any family member(s) have or take medications for a rare heart condition known as congenital prolongation of the QT interval.
BPH and prostate cancer can cause the same symptoms. However, UROXATRAL is not a treatment for prostate cancer.
The most common side effects with UROXATRAL are dizziness, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, and tiredness.
Please see UROXATRAL full prescribing information.
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