The effects of capsaicin on intestinal sodium and fluid transport.

Abstract

Capsaicin, the pungent component of red pepper, was studied to determine its inhibitory effect on fluid and Na+ absorption using rat and hamster everted jejunal sacs. At a mucosal concentration of 140 mg% incubated for 60 min, capsaicin reduced the fluid transport into the serosal side by 14.8% in rat and 23.9% in hamster. Similarly, Na+ transport was also inhibited by 12.5% and 26.2% in rat and hamster, respectively. Such decrease in serosal sodium coincided with the increase in Na+ content of the gut wall and the intracellular Na+ concentration in the epithelial layer. It is, accordingly, concluded that capsaicin inhibits the Na+ exits through the serosal pole of the epithelium. These observations may also provide an explanation for the previously observed inhibition of glucose transport.