CAPSAICIN IN HOT CHILI-PEPPER - CARCINOGEN, COCARCINOGEN OR ANTICARCINOGEN

Capsaicin (trans-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is a major pungent ingredient of the Capsicum fruits such as hot green and red peppers. B esides its use as a food additive in various spicy cuisines, capsaicin is currently utilized for therapeutic purposes to treat various perip heral painful conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetic neu ropathy. Considering consumption of capsaicin as a food additive and i ts current medicinal application in humans, correct evaluation and pre cise assessment of any harmful effects of this compound are essential from the public health standpoint. Numerous investigations have been c onducted to determine the potential mutagenic and carcinogenic activit y of capsaicin and chili pepper, but results are discordant. This revi ew briefly examines findings in the literature of studies testing muta genicity and tumorigenicity of capsaicin and presents a possible mecha nistic basis for the dual effects exerted by the compound.