Tag: capsaicin

Categories : Pain ManagementTags :

For Neuropathic Pain, the More Capsaicin Patch Applications the Better

On By ModernMedia
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan on Unsplash

Capsaicin, derived from hot chili pepper plants, has been used to treat various types of pain, and a high concentration capsaicin patch (HCCP) is approved for the treatment of neuropathic pain. In a real-world study published in Pain Practice that included 97 outpatients in Germany diagnosed primarily with neuropathic back pain, postoperative/posttraumatic neuropathic pain, or postherpetic neuralgia (shingles pain), patients appeared to benefit from multiple HCCP applications.

Among the study participants, 38 received 2 HCCP treatments, and 59 received at least 3. Following HCCP treatments, most patients required significantly lower doses of opioids to manage their pain. Also, two-thirds of patients experienced a reduction in pain intensity after multiple HCCP treatments, and the proportion of patients experiencing a reduction in pain intensity was substantially higher among those who received at least 3 applications compared with those who received 2 applications.

“Consistent with the progressive response seen in prospective clinical trials involving repeated use of topical capsaicin, our research indicates that patients appear to benefit from multiple applications in terms of pain intensity and concomitant opioid use in real-world clinical practice,” said corresponding author Kai-Uwe Kern, MD, PhD, of the Institute for Pain Medicine/Pain Practice, in Wiesbaden, Germany.

Source: Wiley

Categories : CancerTags : Leave a comment

Capsaicin Sustained Release Formations – a Spicy Anti-cancer Treatment?

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A study published in Pharmacology & Therapeutics provides the first in-depth description of the anti-cancer activity of capsaicin sustained release formulations. Capsaicin, responsible for the hot and spicy taste of chili peppers, is being, explored in sustained release formulations of capsaicin for extended anti-cancer activity. However, how to get around its fiery taste remains a challenge.

The article chronicles the growth-suppressive activity of sustained release capsaicin drugs, including solid dispersion systems, liposomes, phospholipid complexes and nanoparticles. This marks the first publication to provide an in-depth description of the anti-cancer activity of capsaicin sustained release formulations. The research team was led by Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences Piyali Dasgupta, PhD., and Professor of Biomedical Sciences Monica Valentovic, PhD.

“This review article is the first to provide a comprehensive overview of capsaicin formulations in human cancer,” said Prof Dasgupta, the study’s corresponding author. “Previous publications in the literature only briefly address sustained release formulations of capsaicin.”

The reviewers found that capsaicin displayed robust growth-inhibitory activity in a diverse array of human cancers. However, the clinical applications of capsaicin as a viable anti-cancer agent were hindered by three factors: poor solubility, low bioavailability and spicy flavour.

“Oral use of capsaicin is associated with unfavourable side effects such as stomach cramps, nausea, a burning sensation in the gut and gastrointestinal irritation,” said Prof Valentovic, a senior author on the publication. “A strategy to overcome these drawbacks is the development of different delivery systems, such as encapsulating capsaicin in long-acting sustained release drug delivery systems could allow for more consistent capsaicin levels that could be more efficient as anti-cancer agents.”

Source: Marshall University