Özet:

Capsaicin, an ingredient of red chili pepper consumed as spice throughout the world is defined as “double-edged sword” agent for having possible tumorigenicity/genotoxicity properties, for being antagonist to carcinogens/mutagens for inducing tumor cell apoptosis. However, reasons of capsaicin induced leukemic cell apoptosis are investigated. In this study, following capsaicin treatment to acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line CCRF-CEM, detecting apoptosis; determining gene expression profi les of JAK/STAT signaling pathway members STAT3, STAT5A,-5B, JAK2,IL-6 mRNA levels and clarifying possible molecular effect mechanism of capsaicin were aimed.METHODS: After 72h capsaicin treatment with IC50 dose that caused cytotoxic effect upon CCRF-CEM; an apoptosis assay was carried out; from another group of cells’, following total RNA isolation, cDNA synthesis was revealed, target genes’ expression levels were determined by real time qRT-PCR. Expressional changes were evaluated by comparing with untreated control group cells’ as fold or % change by performing statistical analyses.RESULTS: When apoptotic case of capsaicin treated and untreated control group cells was compared, signifi cant apoptosis induction was detected in treated group by 37.1% increase. When mRNA expression levels of capsaicin treated leukemic cells/ control group cells for target genes were compared; signifi cant downregulations were detected in STAT3, STAT5A, -5B, JAK2 and IL-6 expressions with -6.02, -49.6, -2.23, -5.53, -2.51 fold respectively.CONCLUSION: One possible reason of capsaicin induced leukemic cell apoptosis might be due to the significant decrease in STAT3, STAT5A and -5B expression levels that function as transcription factors and exhibit an upregulated expression in leukemia. In addition, the down-regulation in signaling accelerators JAK2 and IL-6 expressions could be resulted in deceleration in leukemic cell proliferation and induced apoptosis due to signaling suppression. Therefore, the possibility of capsaicin to take place in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia as well might create new initiative in therapeutic application area.

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