Static magnetic field enhances the anticancer efficacy of capsaicin on HepG2 cells via capsaicin receptor TRPV1

PLoS One. 2018 Jan 16;13(1):e0191078. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0191078. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Static magnetic field (SMF) has shown some possibilities for cancer therapies. In particular, the combinational effect between SMF and anti-cancer drugs has drawn scientists' attentions in recent years. However, the underlying mechanism for the drug-specific synergistic effect is far from being understood. Besides, the drugs used are all conventional chemotherapy drugs, which may cause unpleasant side effects. In this study, our results demonstrate for the first time that SMF could enhance the anti-cancer effect of natural compound, capsaicin, on HepG2 cancer cells through the mitochondria-dependent apoptosis pathway. We found that the synergistic effect could be due to that SMF increased the binding efficiency of capsaicin for the TRPV1 channel. These findings may provide a support to develop an application of SMF for cancer therapy. The present study offers the first trial in combining SMF with natural compound on anti-cancer treatment, which provides additional insight into the interaction between SMF and anti-cancer drugs and opens the door for the development of new strategies in fighting cancer with minimum cytotoxicity and side effects.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • Capsaicin / pharmacology*
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Hep G2 Cells
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Liver Neoplasms / pathology
  • Magnetics*
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • TRPV Cation Channels / metabolism*
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein / metabolism

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • TRPV Cation Channels
  • TRPV1 protein, human
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein
  • Capsaicin
  • Calcium

Grants and funding

This work was supported by grants from Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST 105-2112-M-002-006-MY3; C.Y. Chao) and Ministry of Education (NTU-ICRP-103R7560-2; C.Y. Chao) of the Republic of China. One of authors (CYC) acknowledges the National Taiwan University for financial supports on this work. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.