Jm. Kim et al., Effects of capsaicin on induction of c-jun proto-oncogene expression in Fisher-344 rats by N-methyl-N '-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine, CANCER LETT, 142(2), 1999, pp. 155-160
N-Methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) is a potent inducer of cellular
stress leading to chromosomal aberrations, point mutations, and cell death
. To study the effect of capsaicin on c-jun expression when given with MNNG
to rats, Fisher-344 rats that had been administered MNNG were treated with
capsaicin in their diet and organs were removed for measuring c-jun transc
ripts. We show that pre- or post-treatment of capsaicin relative to MNNG ad
ministration up- or down-regulates (depending on the organ) c-jun expressio
n in a consistent pattern in most organs. In fact, we found in this study t
hat capsaicin inhibits c-jun induction, stimulated by MNNG, in the spleen,
heart, stomach and lung. Since MNNG, a methylating agent, is a powerful car
cinogen that is very effective in the induction of c-jun mRNA, the results
suggest that capsaicin uptake in the diet could play a role in inhibition o
f tumorigenesis induced by MNNG. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All
rights reserved.