Gut bacteria key to fighting colorectal cancer, study suggests

Medical Xpress / University of Alberta / Frontiers in Immunology ^ | Sept. 13, 2023 | Gillian Rutherford / Courtney Mowat et al

[ConservativeMind]

Metabolites produced by gut bacteria during digestion can be used to trigger an immune response against colorectal cancer cells, according to new research that points toward a potential treatment for one of the deadliest forms of cancer.

The research team found that the metabolites activate a molecule on the surface of the cancer cells that attracts immune cells, called T cells. The metabolites are also able to enter the nucleus of the cancer cells and alter their DNA, which further attracts the attention of the immune system.

"What we saw is that these products regulate a key molecule on the tumor cells that T cells directly interact with, so it provides a way for the T cells to detect that the tumor cell is there, that there's something wrong and that they want to eliminate it," explains Kristi Baker.

"The products were also making changes in the cell's gene expression, which coordinates interactions between the cancer cells and the immune system," says Baker.

"We hear a lot that a diet high in fiber is very beneficial and potentially protective against cancer, so part of the question we were asking was how fiber could be contributing to cancer protection," explains Baker.

The team tested two of the most abundant metabolites produced by gut bacteria as they digest dietary fiber—butyrate and propionate. The researchers exposed cancer cells in the colons of mice to the metabolites to observe their lasting effects. They also tested the metabolites on human cancer cells in the lab to confirm the results.

"I was really surprised by the fact that the response was so strong and that it was so reproducible," Baker notes.

[ConservativeMind]

Butyrate and propionate are two beneficial, non-caloric substances that different strains of gut bacteria can make, when given soluble fiber.

When we eat more and various forms of soluble fibers, we get more beneficial, non-caloric substances our bodies have always needed, as these then grow more such bacteria in our gut.

This study did not use bacteria, instead, it used the produced substances to see what they did to help us. Generally, we should have these bacteria already in our gut, unless we wiped them out with antibiotics at some time.

Different soluble fibers provide different beneficial substances. Examples of various soluble fibers capable of these separate benefits include resistant starch, inulin, alginate, guar gum, psyllium, FOS, polydextrose, GOS, and soy fiber.

[ConservativeMind]

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