Jump to navigation

Logo RUB
  • Studium
  • Forschung
  • Transfer
  • News
  • Über uns
  • Einrichtungen
 
MENÜ
  • RUB-STARTSEITE
  • News
  • Wissenschaft
  • Studium
  • Transfer
  • Leute
  • Hochschulpolitik
  • Kultur und Freizeit
  • Vermischtes
  • Servicemeldungen
  • Serien
  • Dossiers
  • Bildergalerien
  • Presseinformationen
    • Abonnieren
  • RUB in den Medien
  • Rubens
  • Rubin
    • Abonnieren
    • Printarchiv
  • Archiv
  • English
    • Press releases
  • Redaktion

Newsportal - Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Press release
Zwei Personen im Labor am Mikroskop
Lea Weber and Hanns Hatt study how active chemical flavours and aromas affect tumour cells.
© RUB, Marquard
Medicine

Spicy molecule inhibits growth of breast cancer cells

The active component capsaicin makes chilli hot. However, a burning sensation in the mouth is not the only effect that it may have on the body.

Capsaicin, an active ingredient of pungent substances such as chilli or pepper, inhibits the growth of breast cancer cells. This was reported by a team headed by the Bochum-based scent researcher Prof Dr Dr Dr habil Hanns Hatt and Dr Lea Weber, following experiments in cultivated tumour cells. In the journal “Breast Cancer – Targets and Therapy”, the researchers from Ruhr-Universität Bochum presented their findings together with colleagues from the Augusta clinics in Bochum, the hospital Herz-Jesu-Krankenhaus Dernbach and the Centre of Genomics in Cologne.

The experiments were carried out with the SUM149PT cell culture, a model system for a particularly aggressive type of breast cancer, i.e. the triple-negative type. Chemotherapy is currently the only available treatment for this type of cancer.

Frequently occurring receptor

In the cultivated cells, the team detected a number of typical olfactory receptors. One receptor occurred very frequently; it is usually found in the fifth cranial nerve, i.e. the trigeminal nerve. It belongs to the so-called Transient Receptor Potential Channels and is named TRPV1. That receptor is activated by the spicy molecule capsaicin as well as by helional – a scent of fresh sea breeze.

In collaboration with Dr Gabriele Bonatz from the Augusta clinics in Bochum (Brustzentrum), Hatt’s team confirmed the existence of TRPV1 in tumour cells in nine different samples from patients suffering from breast cancer.

Cancer cells die

The researchers activated the TRPV1 receptor in the cell culture with capsaicin or helional, by adding the substances to the culture for a period of several hours or days. As a result, the cancer cells divided more slowly. Moreover, the treatment caused tumour cells to die in larger numbers. The surviving cells were no longer able to move as quickly as heretofore; this implies that their ability to form metastases in the body was impeded.

“If we could switch on the TRPV1 receptor with specific drugs, this might constitute a new treatment approach for this type of cancer,” says Hanns Hatt. An intake via food or inhalation is insufficient for this purpose.

Effective in mice

Earlier studies had demonstrated that the chemical arvanil – with a chemical make-up similar to that of the spicy molecule capsaicin – was effective against brain tumours in mice; it reduces tumour growth in the animals. Due to its side effects, however, this substance is not approved for humans. In addition to capsaicin and helional, the endovanilloids, produced naturally in the body, also activate the TRPV1 receptor.

Funding

The project was funded by the Heinrich-und-Alma-Vogelsang-Stiftung and the German Research Foundation under the umbrella of the Collaborative Research Centre 642.

Original publication

Lea V. Weber, Klaudia Al-Refae, Gerhard Wölk, Gabriele Bonatz, Janine Altmüller, Christian Becker, Günter Gisselmann, Hanns Hatt: Expression and functionality of TRPV1 in breast cancer cells, in: Breast Cancer – Targets and Therapy, 2016, DOI: 10.2147/BCTT.S121610

Press contact

Prof Dr Dr Dr habil Hanns Hatt
Department for Cellphysiology
Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Germany
Phone: +49 234 32 24586
Email: hanns.hatt@rub.de

Download high-resolution images
The selected images are downloaded as a ZIP file.
The captions and image credits are available in the HTML file after unzipping.
Conditions of use
The images are free to use for members of the press, provided the relevant copyright notice is included. The images may be used solely for press coverage of Ruhr-Universität Bochum that relates to the contents of the article that includes the link for the image download.
I accept the conditions of use.
Published
Tuesday
20 December 2016
12.28 PM
By
Julia Weiler (jwe)
Translated by
Donata Zuber
Share
Teilen
 
Selected press releases
Overview
 
English News
Overview
 
German News
Homepage
  • A-Z
  • N
  • K
Logo RUB
Impressum | Kontakt
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
Universitätsstraße 150
44801 Bochum

Datenschutz
Barrierefreiheit
Impressum
Schnellzugriff
Service und Themen
Anreise und Lagepläne
Hilfe im Notfall
Stellenangebote
Social Media
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Seitenanfang y Kontrast N
Impressum | Kontakt