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Analysis of bioactive components in Ghost chili (Capsicum chinense) for antioxidant, genotoxic, and apoptotic effects in mice

Abstract Apart from using traditionally in culinary preparations, chili peppers are also important constituents of herbal medicines. Although the bioactive components are studied mostly in the fruits of Capsicum annuum, no such study reports till date is available for Ghost chili (C. chinense) from North East India. Therefore, the aim of this study was to carry out an analysis of the bioactive constituents in the naturally occurring hottest chili Ghost chili (C. chinense), and evaluate its antioxidant, pro/anti-genotoxic, and apoptotic effects in in vitro and in vivo models. Three different antioxidant assays showed that lower doses of Ghost chili extract showed higher DNA protective and antioxidant activities. Furthermore, the administration for 7 alternate days into 6 week old Swiss albino mice showed that the lower doses (50 and 100 mg/kg bw) reduced DMBA induced genotoxicity beside significantly enhancing the activities of hepatic antioxidant enzymes, while higher dose (200 mg/kg bw) induced genotoxic effect in bone marrow cells. The administration of higher dose (200 mg/kg bw) also induced apoptosis and upregulation of Bax (pro) and downregulation of Bcl-2 (anti) apoptotic genes. Dose dependent increase of apoptosis was also observed in Hep G2 and Hep 3B liver cancer cell lines. Our findings in the present study suggest that low doses of C. chinense can exert cancer chemopreventive effects. The induction of apoptosis in both cancer cell lines and mouse bone marrow cells, and up-regulation of proapoptotic genes suggests that the higher dose of C. chinense can be used for targeted cancer therapy.