生物谷Bioon.com 訊 第三軍醫(yī)大學(xué)科研團(tuán)隊(duì)經(jīng)過7年潛心研究,，發(fā)現(xiàn)日常食用辣椒的主要成分辣椒素不僅可以抑制脂肪合成和預(yù)防肥胖，還可改善血管功能及降低血壓,。這一研究成果日前在國際權(quán)威學(xué)術(shù)期刊《細(xì)胞·代謝》（Cell Metabolism）雜志發(fā)表,。
全軍高血壓代謝病中心主任祝之明帶領(lǐng)的科研團(tuán)隊(duì)，自2003年開始研究辣椒素對心血管代謝的影響及其機(jī)制,，歷時7年首次揭示了干預(yù)辣椒素受體（TRPV1）對血壓的有益作用,，為指導(dǎo)民眾健康膳食以及心血管代謝病防治提供科學(xué)依據(jù)。
祝之明說：“我們雖然發(fā)現(xiàn)了辣椒素對降低血壓的有益作用,，但每天需要食用多少辣椒或者辣椒素才能降低血壓,，這需要進(jìn)一步研究才能得出科學(xué)的答案。”
目前我國高血壓患者超過2億,，這項(xiàng)研究將豐富高血壓的非藥物治療,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原文出處：
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.
