Chilli pepper linked with treatment of arthritis

Recently a link has been found between the pain associated with eating chilli peppers and the pain associated with arthritis. Chilli peppers could help scientists to develop an effective treatment for patients with arthritis.  Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital, USA found that peppers and arthritis trigger the same chemical signals in the body that can cause pain. Proteins in the mouth react to the active ingredient of chilli peppers - capsaicin, which causes the hotness. The same protein is also activated with arthritic inflammation. The protein called TRPV1 sends chemical signals to cells triggering pain. A single molecule regulates the performance of this protein and when this molecule is activated, it can boost TRPV1 levels by up to 20 times. Blocking this molecule, called p38, could stop people with arthritis from suffering pain. An inhibitor to p38 could be used to block the increase in TRPV1, thereby blocking pain in patients who suffer from many diseases and conditions that involve inflammation. These findings have improved understanding of arthritis. With this, it has become easier to understand why patients with arthritis or other inflammatory conditions are likely to have increased pain and sensitivity to heat. The scientists have said that the discovery enhances their understanding of arthritis and could lead to new treatments in the future.