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In Silico and In Vitro Investigation of Apoptosis-Mediated Antiproliferative Activity of Capsaicin and Alpha-Lipoic

Ogunc Meral1, Burcu Menekse Balkan2, Dilek Nur Bestil3

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ankara University, Ankara 06070, Turkey.

Current Issues in Molecular Biology
|April 27, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Capsaicin and alpha-lipoic acid show promise in fighting prostate cancer by inhibiting cell growth and promoting apoptosis. These natural compounds effectively downregulate survivin expression, suggesting potential therapeutic applications.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Natural Products Chemistry
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • Natural products are increasingly explored for cancer treatment due to chemotherapy side effects.
  • Many natural compounds exhibit anticancer activities across various cancer types.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of capsaicin and alpha-lipoic acid on prostate cancer cells.
  • To analyze the molecular interactions of these compounds with key cancer-related proteins using computational methods.

Main Methods:

  • MTT assays were used to assess cell viability and proliferation inhibition.
  • Western blot analysis measured apoptotic protein levels.
  • In silico docking studies (CB-Dock2, SwissDock) examined ligand-protein interactions with survivin and BAX.

Main Results:

  • Capsaicin and alpha-lipoic acid significantly inhibited prostate cancer cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner.
  • Both compounds, individually and in combination, markedly downregulated survivin expression.
  • Docking scores indicated strong potential interactions between capsaicin/alpha-lipoic acid and survivin/BAX proteins.

Conclusions:

  • Capsaicin and alpha-lipoic acid demonstrate significant antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic effects on prostate cancer cells.
  • The observed effects are potentially mediated through the downregulation of survivin.
  • Both in vitro and in silico findings support the potential of capsaicin and alpha-lipoic acid as therapeutic agents for prostate cancer.
Keywords:
alpha-lipoic acidapoptosiscapsaicinprostate cancersurvivin

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