The Skinny on TRPV1

Abstract

See related article, pages 1063–1070 I’ve always wondered why my husband insists on growing hot peppers in the garden each year. Indeed if you pop 1 of these little bits of fire into your mouth the burning sensation that ensues is truly a memorable experience. But my husband always says that eating hot peppers is good for you. And indeed, he might be right. Hot peppers contain capsaicin, the chemical responsible for the “hot”.1,2 Capsaicin is used clinically for a number of indications including pain and itch relief and for some forms of rhinitis and headache.1 It has also been implicated in playing a role in prevention of colon cancer and in antimicrobial actions against Helicobacter pylori .3 Capsaicin is a potent agonist for the TRPV1 calcium channel.1,2 TRPV1 is perhaps best known as a “molecular integrator” of noxious or painful stimuli.4 However, physiological roles not associated with pain are now becoming evident for TRPV1. In this issue of Circulation Research , Zhang and colleagues present a novel, physiological role for the TRPV1 channel in the prevention of adipogenesis and obesity.5 Obesity is a major, global health concern. According to the World Health Organization,6 there were approximately 1.6 billion overweight adults in 2005, with at least 400 million obese people. The projections are even more staggering for the year 2015 with approximately 2.3 billion overweight adults and greater than 700 million obese people. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing numerous deleterious health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, and reproductive problems.7 To reverse this epidemic, the general population must become proactive to reach and maintain a healthy body weight. To this end there are numerous over-the-counter products claiming to promote weight loss. Most of these products, however, …