Those who are diagnosed with cancer are often treated with chemotherapy, which can in turn have serious side effects for the body. These side effects are not only unpleasant, but also weaken the organism and body’s defences, which can lead to infections, diseases and other medical issues. This is, among other things, due to the impairment of the mucous membrane in the gastrointestinal tract and the destruction of healthy mucous membrane cells caused by chemotherapy. Healthy bacteria in the intestine (the healthy gut flora) can also be destroyed.

Researchers at Northwestern University (USA) have found that certain types of gut bacteria can protect other good bacteria from the effects of cancer treatment. This could prevent or at least reduce the harmful change in the intestinal microbiome, which could in turn reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.

The study investigated the process of bioremediation, which uses microbes to clean up polluted environments, for this purpose. “Usually, bioremediation applies to groundwater or soil, but here, we have applied it to the gut”, stated Erica Hartmann, the study’s senior author, in a press release of the university. “We know that certain bacteria can breakdown toxic cancer treatments. We wondered if, by breaking down drugs, these bacteria could protect the microbes around them.”

After all, the problem with chemotherapy drugs is that they do not differentiate between cancer cells and beneficial, healthy bacteria. They destroy everything equally and the destruction of the intestinal flora is particularly dangerous for children, as early damage to the intestinal microbiome can lead to allergies and diseases in later life (see also http://www.gesunde-bakterien.de/en/bacteria-in-the-dirt-offer-protection-from-allergies/). In order to prevent this, bacteria that protect against the effects of chemotherapy could possibly be administered in the form of new food supplements or probiotics.

However, such approaches are yet to be investigated further. This also applies to the latest findings from the University of Würzburg, where the importance of intestinal bacteria in cancer treatment has also been a topic of research. The study focused on certain bacteria and their metabolic products making the body’s own immune cells (also known as “killer cells”) more effective. These naturally occurring cells could then be used to specifically target a tumour.

 

Sources:

https://journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/mSphere.00068-21
https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2021/05/good-bacteria-can-temper-chemotherapy-side-effects/
https://www.nach-welt.com/gute-bakterien-konnen-chemotherapie-toxine-im-korper-beseitigen/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-24331-1
https://www.br.de/nachrichten/wissen/neue-studie-der-uni-wuerzburg-darmbakterien-als-anti-tumormittel,ScOlU9G

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