summary: Vitamin D strengthens a type of intestinal bacteria in mice and increases their immunity against cancer. This study shows that mice with higher vitamin D levels resist tumor growth better and respond more effectively to immunotherapy.
This effect appears to be related to an increase in Bacteroides fragilis in the intestine, which somehow strengthens the mice’s immune response against cancer. Previous research has suggested a potential link between vitamin D levels and cancer risk, so further research is needed to see if this applies to humans.
Important facts:
- The role of vitamin D: Mice given vitamin D showed increased levels of Bacteroides fragilis, which increased their resistance to cancer.
- Impact on humans: Preliminary data analysis from 1.5 million people in Denmark suggests a correlation between lower vitamin D levels and increased cancer risk.
- Future research: Understanding how vitamin D can be used to boost beneficial gut microbiota could open new avenues for cancer treatment and prevention.
sauce: Francis Crick Institute
Researchers from the Francis Crick Institute, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Aalborg University in Denmark found that vitamin D stimulates the growth of a type of intestinal bacteria in mice. discovered to improve immunity. cancer.
It was reported today that scienceResearchers found that mice fed a diet rich in vitamin D had improved immune resistance to experimentally transplanted cancers and improved response to immunotherapy treatment.
This effect was also seen when gene editing removed a protein that binds to vitamin D in the blood and keeps it away from tissues.
Surprisingly, the research team discovered that vitamin D acts on epithelial cells in the intestines, resulting in an increase in the amount of bacteria called. Bacteroides fragilis. The microbe gave the mice better immunity against cancer because the transplanted tumors didn’t grow as much, but researchers still don’t understand how.
To test whether bacteria alone could provide better cancer immunity, mice fed a regular diet were tested. Bacteroides fragilis. These mice were also better able to resist tumor growth, but not when fed a vitamin D-deficient diet.
Previous studies have suggested a link between vitamin D deficiency and cancer risk in humans, but the evidence is not conclusive.
To investigate this, researchers analyzed a data set from 1.5 million people in Denmark, highlighting the link between low vitamin D levels and increased cancer risk.
Another analysis of cancer patient populations also suggested that people with higher vitamin D levels were more likely to respond well to immune-based cancer treatments.
nevertheless Bacteroides fragilis Vitamin D is also found in the human microbiome, but further research is needed to understand whether vitamin D helps confer immune resistance to cancer through the same mechanism.
Caetano Reis e Sousa, director of Crick University’s Institute of Immunobiology and lead author, said: For cancer.
“While this may one day be important for human cancer treatment, we do not know how and why vitamin D exerts this effect through the microbiome. Further research is needed before we can conclusively say that improvements are effective in preventing or treating cancer.”
Evangelos Giampazourias, former postdoctoral fellow at Crick University and currently group leader of the Cancer Immune Surveillance Group at Cancer Research UK’s Manchester Research Institute, said: We found that vitamin D helps gut bacteria induce cancer immunity and improves response to immunotherapy in mice.
“The key question we are currently trying to answer is how exactly vitamin D supports a ‘good’ microbiome. Answering this could reveal new ways in which the microbiome influences the immune system, offering exciting possibilities in cancer prevention and treatment. ”
“These findings raise the bar on the role of the microbiome in cancer immunity and how we can fine-tune this relationship to improve patient outcomes,” said Romina Goldschmid, Stadtmann Research Fellow in the NCI Cancer Research Center. “We contribute to the growing body of knowledge regarding potential dietary interventions.”
“However, further research is needed to fully understand the underlying mechanisms and how they can be exploited to develop individualized treatment strategies.”
This research was supported by Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, an ERC Advanced Investigator grant, a Wellcome Investigator Award, an award from the Louis-Jeantet Foundation, the NCI Intramural Research Programme, the National Institute for Health Research, CCR-NCI, Danish National Research Foundation.
Dr Nisharnthi Duggan, Research Information Manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “We know that vitamin D deficiency can cause health problems, but there is not enough evidence linking vitamin D levels to cancer risk.
This early-stage study in mice, combined with analysis of Danish population data, aims to address gaps in the evidence. The findings suggest a possible link between vitamin D and the immune response to cancer, but further research is needed to confirm this.
‘Exposure to a little sunlight can help our bodies produce vitamin D, but we don’t need sunbathing to accelerate this process. A short period of time in the sun can produce enough vitamin D.
“Vitamin D can also be obtained through diet and supplements. We know that staying safe in the sun can reduce the risk of cancer, so be sure to seek shade and cover up when the sun is shining. , please wear sunscreen.”
About this cancer and microbiome research news
author: claire green
sauce: Francis Crick Institute
contact: Claire Green – Francis Crick Institute
image: Image credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Closed access.
“Vitamin D regulates microbiome-dependent cancer immunity” by Caetano Reis e Sousa et al. science
abstract
Vitamin D modulates microbiome-dependent cancer immunity
A role for vitamin D in immunomodulation and cancer has been suggested. In this study, we report that mice with increased vitamin D availability have greater immune-dependent resistance to transplantable cancers and enhanced responses to checkpoint blockade immunotherapy.
Similarly, in humans, vitamin D-induced genes correlate with improved response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, immunity to cancer, and longer overall survival.
In mice, resistance is due to the activity of vitamin D on intestinal epithelial cells, which changes the composition of the microbiome and Bacteroides fragilispositively modulates cancer immunity.
Our findings demonstrate a previously unappreciated link between vitamin D, microbial commensal communities, and immune responses to cancer.
Collectively, they highlight vitamin D levels as a potential determinant of cancer immunity and immunotherapy success.
