生物谷Bioon.com 讯 第三军医大学科研团队经过7年潜心研究，发现日常食用辣椒的主要成分辣椒素不仅可以抑制脂肪合成和预防肥胖，还可改善血管功能及降低血压。这一研究成果日前在国际权威学术期刊《细胞代谢》（Cell Metabolism）杂志发表。
全军高血压代谢病中心主任祝之明带领的科研团队，自2003年开始研究辣椒素对心血管代谢的影响及其机制，历时7年首次揭示了干预辣椒素受体（TRPV1）对血压的有益作用，为指导民众健康膳食以及心血管代谢病防治提供科学依据。
祝之明说：“我们虽然发现了辣椒素对降低血压的有益作用，但每天需要食用多少辣椒或者辣椒素才能降低血压，这需要进一步研究才能得出科学的答案。”
目前我国高血压患者超过2亿，这项研究将丰富高血压的非药物治疗。
生物谷推荐原文出处：
Cell Metabolism doi：10.1016/j.cmet.2010.05.015
Activation of TRPV1 by Dietary Capsaicin Improves Endothelium-Dependent Vasorelaxation and Prevents Hypertension
Dachun Yang, Zhidan Luo, Shuangtao Ma, Wing Tak Wong, Liqun Ma, Jian Zhong, Hongbo He, Zhigang Zhao, Tingbing Cao, Zhencheng Yan, Daoyan Liu, William J. Arendshorst, Yu Huang, Martin Tepel, Zhiming Zhu
Some plant-based diets lower the cardiometabolic risks and prevalence of hypertension. New evidence implies a role for the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) cation channel in the pathogenesis of cardiometabolic diseases. Little is known about impact of chronic TRPV1 activation on the regulation of vascular function and blood pressure. Here we report that chronic TRPV1 activation by dietary capsaicin increases the phosphorylation of protein kinase A (PKA) and eNOS and thus production of nitric oxide (NO) in endothelial cells, which is calcium dependent. TRPV1 activation by capsaicin enhances endothelium-dependent relaxation in wild-type mice, an effect absent in TRPV1-deficient mice. Long-term stimulation of TRPV1 can activate PKA, which contributes to increased eNOS phosphorylation, improves vasorelaxation, and lowers blood pressure in genetically hypertensive rats. We conclude that TRPV1 activation by dietary capsaicin improves endothelial function. TRPV1-mediated increase in NO production may represent a promising target for therapeutic intervention of hypertension.
