Effect of Capsaicin on RANKL-Mediated Osteoclast Differentiation
Background : Capsaicin is an active component of chili peppers, which are plants belonging to the genus Capsicum. Research reported capsaicin has antioxidant and anti-inflamatory activity and osteoclast lineages are very susceptible to oxidative stress, as osteoclasts are produced by increased-generation of intracellular ROS and osteoclasts are activated by ROS. Therefore, our study was evaluated the influence of intracellular oxidative stress such as increased ROS level on RANKL-mediated osteoclast differenciation. Methods and Results : Capsaicin showed a good free radical scavenging activity at in-vitro antioxidant activity. The inhibitory effect of osteoclast differentiation on capsaicin was confirmed. Osteoclast differentiation from murine macrophage RAW 264.7 cells was induced by RANKL. The effect of capsaicin on receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) ligand (RANKL)-induced osteoclast differentiation was demonstrated using a tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) assay and TRAP staining. Capsaicin showed an inhibitory effect on TRAP activity. The TRAP staining showed that the number of TRAP positive osteoclasts was reduced in capsaicin-treated cells. Conclusion : Capsaicin revealed an inhibitory effect in osteoclast differentiation induced by RANKL. These results suggest that capsaicin may have a beneficial effect for the prevention or treatment of osteoclast caused bone diseases such as osteoporosis.