Combined effects of bacterial and iron levels on colorectal cancer progression

Certain gut bacteria, such as Clostridium nucleatum, are high in high levels and can promote tumor progression
in colorectal cancer patients.
Now, Japanese scientists have revealed a unique mechanism by which excess iron accumulation accelerates the development of cancer.
Nucleatum - positive colorectal cancer
.
Their findings suggest that iron accumulation enhances the inflammatory response of immune cells, promotes tumor growth, and contributes to changes
in prognosis between patients.
These findings could support
the development of new treatment strategies and drugs for colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause
of cancer-related death worldwide.
Recent studies have shown that gut microbes such as Clostridium nucleatum may contribute to poor
prognosis in colon tumor tissues in colorectal cancer patients.
However, factors associated with differences in patient prognosis f nucleatum — It is not known whether CRC is positive
.
As a result, targeted interventions for these tumors remain limited
.
One possible answer may lie in the body's iron levels, which usually determine how the immune system responds
to infection.

To explore the mechanisms that contribute to tumor progression in CRC and to identify case-specific features, particularly in the context of tumors.
nucleatum - In the case of positive CRC, researchers at Kumamoto University and Gifu Pharmaceutical University in Japan investigated the relationship between tumor progression and iron levels in the body.
nucleatum - Positive CRC
.
Their study showed that excess iron accumulation accelerated tumor progression.
Nucleatum - positive colorectal cancer
.
"Aiming at the fact that CRC patients with higher systemic iron levels have poor survival, we elucidated the mechanism by which excess iron accelerates cancer progression
, said Professor Moroishi Toshiro of Kumamoto University.
He led the research
together with his university colleagues Professor Hideo Baba, Professor Tomohiro Ze and Professor Yoshihiro Ohara.

A healthy adult body contains about 3-5 grams of iron, which is equivalent to the iron
contained in one iron nail.
While iron deficiency can lead to conditions such as anemia, iron excess is often associated with
diseases such as cancer.
The researchers were inspired by previous findings showing that disruption of iron homeostasis alters tissue function
in the body.
Therefore, to reveal the link between iron levels and CRC prognosis, they analyzed tumor tissue samples from 204 patients diagnosed with stage I, II, or III.
nucleatum - frontal or f.
nucleatum - negative CRC
.
At the same time, iron levels in tumor tissues were also measured, as well as the level of "transferrin saturation" in the patient's serum, an indicator
of iron status throughout the body.
The first round of experiments showed that high levels of transferrin saturation and iron deposition within tumors were associated with poor overall survival (OS) in patients.
nucleatum-positive CRC
.

The rest of their study was to understand how iron affects CRC prognosis
.
A common link between iron metabolism and cancer progression is the regulation of immune responses, which are mediated by macrophages, which can promote and inhibit tumors
based on their molecular expression profiles.
Therefore, the researchers examined iron and f.
Nucleatum uses RNA sequencing to study the molecular expression profile
of macrophages.
Their performance was found in vitro tests in cultured cells.
Nucleatum infection activates the tumor-promoting TLR4/NF-κb signaling pathway in macrophages, thereby increasing the production
of the protein CCL8, which promotes tumor growth and progression.
Overall, the results showed that the results showed a significant impact on f.
When nucleatum-CRC is positive, bacteria convert macrophages into pretumor cells
expressing CCL8.

However, iron's role in this process is unclear
.
To find the final piece of this puzzle, the researchers tested how changes in iron levels affected the increase in CCL8.
nucleatum． Professor Moroishi explains: "In other words, we asked whether F.
Can nucleatum also induce macrophages to express CCL8 in the setting of iron deficiency? Interestingly, the answer is no
.
When iron is removed, the production of CCL8 and other tumor-promoting signaling molecules in macrophages is greatly reduced, meaning they no longer promote tumor development
.
This result explains why patients f.
Patients with positive nucleatum-CRC and lower iron levels have a better
prognosis than those with higher iron levels.

"Our research group has clarified F.
Nucleatum infection and high iron levels in the body can accelerate the progression of colorectal cancer, Professor
Moroishi confirmed.
"This means that survival rates in this patient population may be improved
by targeting iron levels.
" He added
.
His research team intends to continue exploring the dynamics
of iron metabolism in the body in the context of cancer.
Their findings promise to open new avenues
for precise prevention strategies and customized treatments for CRC patients.