Preliminary Screening of Capsaicin‐based Compounds as Potential Therapeutic Targets for Human Non‐small Cell Lung Cancer

Abstract

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer and accounts for approximately 15% of all new cancers. During 2009, there will be an estimated 219,440 new cases of lung cancer. Lung cancer can be divided into two distinct types; small cell and non‐small cell cancer. Non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancers. The five‐year survival rate for non‐small cell lung cancer ranges from 11% to 17%. Current modalities treating the disease are focused on growth factor receptor therapy. Capsaicin is the active component of chili peppers plants belonging to the genus Capsaicinoids. The Vanilloids, a family of molecules to which capsaicin belongs, bind to targets in mitochondria of cancer cells to trigger apoptosis, without harming non‐transformed cells. Our goal was to determine the ability of a family of Vanilloid based compounds on three different NSCLC cell lines NCI‐H460, NCI‐H358, and NCI‐H1299. We found that compound LB‐24c12a caused a significant drop in proliferation in all three types of NSCLC cell lines, while SM‐1 was found to cause a slight rise in proliferation. A dose response to LB‐24c12a was determined in the micromolar range in H460 cells. The compounds were further analyzed for their effects on cytotoxicity, apoptosis and cell motility. These results shed light on possible effects on NSCLC by variations of capsaicin molecule.