Prebiotics Boost Antitumor Immunity and Help Mice Fight Melanoma
Source: Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, April 2020
Studies by scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute showed that feeding mice with two prebiotics, mucin, and inulin, boosted the immune system’s ability to fight cancer, slowed the growth of implanted melanoma tumors, and delayed the development of resistance to established drugs. The anticancer effects of the two prebiotics were linked with changes in the composition of the animals’ gut microbial communities, which induced antitumor immune responses. The researchers say their study, published in Cell Reports, provides further evidence for the role that gut microbes play in shaping the immune response to cancer, and supports efforts to target the gut microbiome as an approach to enhancing the efficacy of cancer therapy.
“Prebiotics represent a powerful tool to restructure gut microbiomes and identify bacteria that contribute to anticancer immunity,” said Scott Peterson, PhD, professor in Sanford Burnham Prebys’ Tumor Microenvironment and Cancer Immunology Program and co-corresponding author of the study. “The scientific advances we are making here are getting us closer to the idea of implementing prebiotics in cutting-edge cancer treatments.” Peterson and colleagues reported their studies in a paper titled, “Prebiotic-Induced Anti-tumor Immunity Attenuates Tumor Growth.”
The gastrointestinal (GI) tract harbors a complex, dynamic population of bacteria that are implicated in the maintenance of health, the onset or progression of disease, and which affect key aspects of homeostasis and physiology, including the development and function of the immune system, the authors explained. Gut microbiota also influence the progression of some cancers in model systems. “Changes in gut microbiota composition are linked to local and systemic alterations that affect tumor growth, in part through modulation of tissue remodeling, mucosal immunity, and antitumor immunity,” the team continued.