Capsaicin reduces blood glucose and prevents prostate growth by regulating androgen, RAGE/IGF-1/Akt, TGF-β/Smad signalling pathway and reversing epithelial-mesenchymal transition in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice

• Published in: Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology 2024-10, Vol.397 (10), p.7659-7671
• Main Authors: Sun, Hui, Wang, ZiTong, Tu, BingHua, Shao, ZiChen, Li, YiDan, Han, Di, Jiang, YinJie, Zhang, Peng, Zhang, WeiChang, Wu, YunYan, Wu, XiaoMing, Liu, Chi-Ming
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Advanced glycosylation end products; AKT protein; Androgen receptors; Androgens; Androgens - pharmacology; Animals; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Blood glucose; Blood Glucose - drug effects; Blood Glucose - metabolism; Capsaicin; Capsaicin - pharmacology; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - metabolism; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - drug therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - metabolism; E-cadherin; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition - drug effects; Fat metabolism; Fibronectin; Fibrosis; Glucose; Glucose metabolism; High fat diet; Hyperplasia; Hypoglycemic Agents - pharmacology; Hypoglycemic Agents - therapeutic use; Insulin-like growth factor I; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I - metabolism; Insulin-like growth factor I receptors; Insulin-like growth factors; Male; Metabolic disorders; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; N-Cadherin; Neurosciences; Oral administration; Pharmacology/Toxicology; Prostate; Prostate - drug effects; Prostate - metabolism; Prostate - pathology; Prostate cancer; Prostate-specific antigen; Protein expression; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt - metabolism; Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products - metabolism; Signal transduction; Signal Transduction - drug effects; Smad Proteins - metabolism; Streptozocin; Testosterone; Transforming Growth Factor beta - metabolism; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 - metabolism; Transforming growth factor-b; Vimentin
• ISSN: 0028-1298; 1432-1912; 1432-1912
• DOI: 10.1007/s00210-024-03092-w

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a metabolic disease. Diabetes increases the risk of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Capsaicin is extracted from chili peppers and possesses many pharmacological properties, including anti-diabetic, pain-relieving, and anti-cancer properties. This study aimed to investigate the effects of capsaicin on glucose metabolism and prostate growth in T2DM mice and uncover the related mechanisms. Mice model of diabetes was established by administering a high-fat diet and streptozotocin. Oral administration of capsaicin for 2 weeks inhibited prostate growth in testosterone propionate (TP)-treated mice. Furthermore, oral administration of capsaicin (5 mg/kg) for 2 weeks decreased fasting blood glucose, prostate weight, and prostate index in diabetic and TP-DM mice. Histopathological alterations were measured using hematoxylin & eosin (H&E) staining. The protein expression of 5α-reductase type II, androgen receptor (AR), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were upregulated in diabetic and TP-DM mice, but capsaicin reversed these effects. Capsaicin decreased the protein expression of p-AKT, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), IGF-1R, and the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) in diabetic and TP-DM mice. Capsaicin also regulated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and modulated the expression of fibrosis-related proteins, including E-cadherin, N-cadherin, vimentin, fibronectin, α-SMA, TGFBR2, TGF-β1, and p-Smad in TP-DM mice. In this study, capsaicin alleviated diabetic prostate growth by attenuating EMT. Mechanistically, capsaicin affected EMT by regulating RAGE/IGF-1/AKT, AR, and TGF-β/Smad signalling pathways. These results provide with new therapeutic approach for treating T2DM or T2DM-induced prostate growth.