Peppers: A “Hot” Natural Source for Antitumor Compounds
Micael Rodrigues Cunha,
Maurício Temotheo Tavares,
Thais Batista Fernandes,
Roberto Parise-Filho
Affiliations
Micael Rodrigues Cunha
Center of Medicinal Chemistry, Dr. André Tosello Avenue, 550, Campinas, SP 13083-886, Brazil
Maurício Temotheo 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
Thais Batista 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
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
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.
