by Long Zheng, Wenjin Li, Bing Wang, Tao Wu, Hao Huang, Yongchao He, Wei Qu Capsaicin, a natural compound, has demonstrated antitumor efficacy in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer (ER-positive BC). However, its downstream molecular targets and mechanisms remain poorly understood, particularly those linked to metabolic reprogramming and immune modulation.
This study aimed to identify capsaicin-responsive genes and explore their roles in ER-positive BC progression and tumor microenvironment remodeling. Bioinformatic analysis was performed on the GSE64155 dataset from GEO to screen differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in capsaicin-treated ER-positive BC.
Functional enrichment (GO/KEGG) and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analyses were performed to prioritize key genes. Experimental validation included qPCR and Western blotting to assess gene and protein expression in capsaicin-treated cells.
Clinical relevance was evaluated using TCGA expression data, survival analysis (overall survival [OS], relapse-free survival [RFS], and distant metastasis-free survival [DMFS]), and immunohistochemistry (IHC) in BC tissues. Immune cell infiltration was analyzed via the CIBERSORT algorithm.
SHMT2 and GARS were identified as the most significant capsaicin-responsive genes.
PLOS ONE (Medicine) published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 03 Jun 2026.
The item focuses on Identification of potential key genes that respond to capsaicin treatment in ER-positive breast cancer: An integrated analysis.
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