Chilies, capsaicin

Capsaicin is what makes chili peppers hot. It is an irritant, for mammals, but not for birds. This may be because birds spread the seeds better than mammals. It causes a burning sensation in any mammalian tissue with which it comes in contact. 

The primary counterirritant in group D is capsaicin, a natural substance found in red chili peppers and responsible for the hot, spicy characteristic when used in foods.32,33,48 Capsaicin stimulates the release of substance P from local sensory nerve fibers, depleting substance P stores over time. A period of reduced sensitivity to painful stimuli follows, and transmission of pain impulses to the central nervous system is reduced.42... 

The pungent components of chili peppers belong to a class of substances known as capsaicinoids. The most pungent and most common substance in this family is capsaicin (Fig. 7.2.1) (N-[4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methyl]-8-methyl-6-nonenamide). Other members of this family include dihydrocapsaicin (Fig. 7.2.2), nodihydrocapsaicin (dihydrocapsaicin with a (CH2)s linkage instead of (CH2)6),... 

It is interesting to note that most of our modern uses of chili peppers are preceded by ancient Mesoamericans. Capsaicin, the active chemical constituent, is used today as an irritant in self-defense sprays, and dried chilis were burned by the Inca to blind the invading Spaniards. Just as we apply capsaicin for analgesia, native Americans used to rub chili on the gums to relieve the pain of a toothache. Eunuchs serving Chinese Emperors were castrated after hot pepper extracts were chronically applied to their scrotums. 

Capsaicin was extracted and named by Thomas Thresh in 1846, and its chemical structure was determined in 1919. The Scoville Unit was also developed in 1912 as a measurement of the hotness of chili peppers (Scoville 1912). A pepper with 1000 Scoville Units means that an alcoholic extract must be diluted 1 1000 before it ceases to be hot. The Mexican habanero pepper has an astonishing 350,000 Scoville Units. 

The primary chemicals of interest in chilies are capsaicinoids, namely capsaicin (0.02%) and dihydrocapsaicin (figure 8.11). Also found are flavonoids, carotenoids (capsanthin), steroid saponins (capsicidin), and ascorbic acid or vitamin C (0.2%). Capsaicin has a vanilloid chemical structure. Mechanisms of Action... 

The predominant adverse effect of clinical use of capsaicin is the burning sensation it produces. Many find it intolerable, and withdrawal rates from clinical studies have been reported as 30% or higher (Szallasi and Blumberg 1999). Excessive ingestion of chili peppers can cause visceral pain, increased peristalsis and diarrhea (Gruenwald 1998). Excessive external application can cause blister and ulcer formation. Very high doses can cause a serious hypothermia. 

This family is characterized by producing substances that have dramatic effects on humans and animals the toxins in deadly nightshade, mandrake, and datura the nicotine in tobacco plants and the burning capsaicin in chili peppers. But it also contains cool, juicy sweet tomatoes and bell peppers eggplants, with their rich, creamy flesh and the ultimate in comfort food—the potato. 

Capsaicin (52 Qutenza , NeurogesX, 2009), an active component of chili peppers belonging to genus Capsicum, was first isolated in pure and crystalline form by John Clough Thresh in 1876." Capsaicin is currently used in topical ointments to reheve the pain of peripheral neuropathy the burning and painful sensations associated with capsaicin (capsaicin does not actually cause a chemical bum, or any direct tissue damage at all) result from its chemical interaction with sensory neurons. Capsaicin, being a member of the vanilloid family, binds to the ion channel receptor vanilloid... 

Investigations on capsaicin (66), the vanillyl-group containing hot principle in chili peppers Capsicum spp.), as well as the irritant compound... 

Chemesthesis. The term chemesthesis has been introduced to classify thermal and painful sensations experienced in the mouth (26). Chemesthesis refers to a chemical sensibility (mouthfeel) in which certain chemicals direcdy activate nerve fibers at the level of the basal membrane in the mouth. The sensations are analogous to similar effects at the skin surface where there is a close anatomical and functional relationship. Sensations include the "hot" of capsaicin and piperine, which are active components of chili and pepper, the coolness of menthol and the irritation of chemicals such as salt at high concentrations [FIGURE 4]. Some of the descriptive terms used to make qualitative distinctions in food sensations include pungency, freshness, tingling, burning and sharpness. 

It has been known for many years that autonomic effector tissues (eg, gut, airways, bladder) contain nerve fibers that do not show the histochemical characteristics of either cholinergic or adrenergic fibers. Both motor and sensory NANC fibers are present. Although peptides are the most common transmitter substances found in these nerve endings, other substances, eg, nitric oxide synthase and purines, are also present in many nerve terminals (Table 6-1). Capsaicin, a neurotoxin derived from chili peppers, can cause the release of transmitter (especially substance P) from such neurons and, if given in high doses, destruction of the neuron. 

In addition to mating-disruption pheromones, there are a number of naturally occurring, nonpheromonal attractants and repellents. Many are typically used as food additives or in cosmetics or perfumes, and are derived from diverse plant and animal sources. Capsaicin [44], the spicy component of chili peppers, is used in several bird, deer, and rodent repellents. Maple lactone [45], a common food additive and flavoring, is used in traps to attract cockroaches with its stale beer odor. Methyl... 

All Indian sweet chilis, even those with a high pigment concentration, also contain the pungent component called capsaicin. 

With CO2 extraction it is possible to produce colour extracts up to 3,000 AST A from Indian chili. These extracts still contain 2 to 2.5 wt.% capsaicin, which can be removed in a second CO2 extraction step, if desired. The result is a high concentrated colour extract with a colour value up to 5,000 AST A and more, and a highly pungent fraction containing capsaicin up to 20 wt.%. Such extracts are produced, for example, in a multi-purpose plant at Novo Agritech near Hyderabad, India. 

ACE inhibitor Theophylline Chili pepper (Capsicum spp.) Cough Capsaicin depletes substance P Increased absorption and bioavailability... 

Capsicum, also known as chili or paprika, is the fruit of various Capsicum species. It is widely used as a spice and, traditionally, it has been used internally for colic, flatulent dyspepsia, chronic laryngitis, insufficiency of peripheral circulation, and externally for neuralgia. Capsaicin (the active pungent ingredient) has been used extensively as a probe to elucidate the function of sensory neurons in various organs and systems (including the stomach), because of its ability to excite and later defunctionalize a subset of primary afferent neurons. 

Alejo, N.O. and Carciglia, R.S. (1992) Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase activity and capsaicin-precursor compounds in p-fluorophenylalanine-resistant and -sensitive variant cells of chili pepper (Capsicum annuum). Physiologia Plantarum 85(2), 1 73-1 79. 

Capsaicin is the compound that is responsible for the hotness of chili peppers. Chemical analysis reveals capsaicin to contain 71.0% carbon, 8.60% hydrogen, 15.8% oxygen, and 4.60% nitrogen. 

Olive oil aromatized with chili pepper is a common condiment in the Mediterranean area. Under these conditions, transamidation of capsaicin to N-oleoylvanillamrne (olvanil, 69a) has been demonstrated [122]. Olvanil is nonpungent, but more potent as an anti-inflammatory agent than capsaicin, and one therefore wonders if olvanil might also contribute to the beneficial health effects traditionally attributed to olive oil flavored with hot pepper. 

Capsaicin causes transient bronchoconstriction and induces coughing, especially in individual with severe asthma, potentially triggering fatal crises [37]. These adverse respiratory effects are probably due to the limited capacity of respiratory tissues to metabolize capsaicin (see Section 4.3) [38], and are a major problem with the use of pepper sprays as antiriot agents [37]. Smokers are less sensitive to the respiratory effects of capsaicin, but asthmatic patients should avoid chilies and hot cuisine, as should people using drugs such as ACE-inhibitors, which have an intrinsic capacity to induce cough. 

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