DOI: 10.1177/02601060261471743 ISSN: 0260-1060

Potential effects of cayenne pepper in modulating cardiovascular risk markers in rats fed an atherogenic diet and exposed to inflammation

Rachel S Goldberg, Deva S Plumlee, Kyrie Bloem, Nicole Hite, Mee Young Hong
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Background

Obesity, oxidative stress, and inflammation are major contributors to cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading global cause of death. Capsaicin, the active compound in chili peppers, including cayenne pepper, has shown anti-inflammatory effects and may help reduce CVD risk. However, research on cayenne pepper's specific impact on CVD-related biomarkers is limited.

Aim

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cayenne pepper on lipid metabolism, inflammation, and antioxidant capacity in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-treated rats fed an atherogenic diet.

Methods

Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats (21 days old) were randomly assigned to four groups ( n  = 10/group) in a 2 × 2 factorial design: atherogenic diet ± cayenne pepper (2.9%) for 28 days, with or without 3% DSS (an inflammation-inducing agent) for 24 h.

Summary

Rats fed cayenne pepper-supplemented diet showed lower body weight gain ( P  = 0.022) and epididymal fat mass ( P  = 0.037), along with increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels ( P  = 0.029) and decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( P  = 0.002) and triglyceride levels ( P  = 0.048). C-reactive protein levels showed a decreasing trend ( P  = 0.056), while antioxidant enzyme activities, including superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase, and glutathione peroxidase, were significantly higher ( P  < 0.001) in cayenne pepper-fed rats. Hepatic gene expression of inflammation marker cyclooxygenase-2 ( P  = 0.026), as well as the lipogenic genes fatty acid synthase ( P  = 0.002) and sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 ( P  = 0.003), were decreased with cayenne pepper. These results suggest that cayenne pepper may modulate CVD-related risk factors through anti-inflammatory, lipid-modulating, and antioxidant mechanisms.

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