Peppers: A “Hot” Natural Source for Antitumor Compounds
Authors
Micael Cunha
Center of Medicinal Chemistry, Dr. André Tosello Avenue, 550, Campinas, SP 13083-886, Brazil; [email protected]
Maurício Tavares
Laboratory of Design and Synthesis of Bioactive Substances, Department of Pharmacy, University of São Paulo, Prof. Lineu Prestes Avenue 580, Bl.13, Butantã, SP 05508-900, Brazil; [email protected] (M.T.T.); [email protected] (T.B.F.)
Thais Fernandes
Laboratory of Design and Synthesis of Bioactive Substances, Department of Pharmacy, University of São Paulo, Prof. Lineu Prestes Avenue 580, Bl.13, Butantã, SP 05508-900, Brazil; [email protected] (M.T.T.); [email protected] (T.B.F.)
Roberto Parise-Filho
Laboratory of Design and Synthesis of Bioactive Substances, Department of Pharmacy, University of São Paulo, Prof. Lineu Prestes Avenue 580, Bl.13, Butantã, SP 05508-900, Brazil; [email protected] (M.T.T.); [email protected] (T.B.F.)
Piper, Capsicum, and Pimenta are the main genera of peppers consumed worldwide. The traditional use of peppers by either ancient civilizations or modern societies has raised interest in their biological applications, including cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects. Cellular responses upon treatment with isolated pepper-derived compounds involve mechanisms of cell death, especially through proapoptotic stimuli in tumorigenic cells. In this review, we highlight naturally occurring secondary metabolites of peppers with cytotoxic effects on cancer cell lines. Available mechanisms of cell death, as well as the development of analogues, are also discussed.
Keywords: peppers, Piper, Capsicum, secondary metabolites, antitumor activity, apoptosis
Author Biographies
Micael Cunha, Center of Medicinal Chemistry, Dr. André Tosello Avenue, 550, Campinas, SP 13083-886, Brazil; [email protected]
Laboratory of Design and Synthesis of Bioactive Substances, Department of Pharmacy, University of São Paulo, Prof. Lineu Prestes Avenue 580, Bl.13, Butantã, SP 05508-900, Brazil; [email protected] (M.T.T.); [email protected] (T.B.F.)
Maurício Tavares, Laboratory of Design and Synthesis of Bioactive Substances, Department of Pharmacy, University of São Paulo, Prof. Lineu Prestes Avenue 580, Bl.13, Butantã, SP 05508-900, Brazil; [email protected] (M.T.T.); [email protected] (T.B.F.)
Department of Molecular Medicine, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL 33458, USA
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