Good bacteria can alleviate the side effects of chemotherapy

In the human intestine, good bacteria are good neighbors

A new Northwestern University study found that certain types of intestinal bacteria can protect other good bacteria from cancer treatments by reducing harmful, drug-induced changes in the intestinal flora

Ultimately, this research may produce new dietary supplements, probiotics, or engineered therapies to help improve the gut health of cancer patients

"We were really inspired by bioremediation," said Erica Hartman of Northwestern University, the senior author of the study: "It uses microorganisms to purify the polluted environment

Although cancer treatments can save lives, they can also cause extremely serious and painful side effects, including gastrointestinal problems

"Chemotherapeutic drugs cannot distinguish between killing cancer cells and killing microorganisms," Hartman said.

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In order to test whether this decomposition effect can protect the entire microbial community, the research team developed a simplified microbial community that includes various bacteria commonly found in the human intestine

The research team then "exposed these simulated intestinal flora to doxorubicin" and found that the survival rate of sensitive strains increased

Although this study highlights a promising new approach that may protect cancer patients, Hartmann warns that it is still far away to translate new discoveries into treatments

"There are some final applications that will be very helpful to help cancer patients, especially children, avoid such serious side effects," she said, but we are far from realizing this

Journal Reference :

1. Ryan A.