SPICY AND KILLS PAIN TOO
Dr. Bruce Bean and his colleagues at Harvard Medical School have targeted pain with a combination of capsaicin,
the active ingredient of chili peppers, and QX-314, a lidocaine derivative. The combination works on an ion channel
called TRPV1, only found in pain-sensing nerve cells. Capsaicin opens the ion channel and allows QX-314 to enter
the cell. The QX-314 is similar to its local anesthetic parent, but only acts when it is inside a cell. It dampens the action
of the pain-sensing neurons but doesn’t limit the patient’s ability to move or control muscles. The combination could
end pain in the dentist’s chair without the dangerous side effects and numbness of traditional anesthesia.