Nature Sub-Journal: Why Exercise Prevents Cancer? Exercise metabolism of lactic acid, can enhance anti-cancer immunity

The meaning of life is to exercise, exercise can make the body's cells active, can make people have a good look and healthier, exercise and health are positively related
.

Lactate, a metabolite produced during exercise, is also the main source
of carbon fuel for many cells.

Recently, researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center published a research paper
titled "Lactate increases stemness of CD8+T cells to augment anti-tumor immunity" in the journal Nature Communications.

The study shows that lactic acid can increase the number of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells and enhance anti-tumor immunity, and this finding is expected to be used to develop new strategies to enhance the anti-tumor effect
of cancer immunotherapy.

In the study, the researchers injected lactic acid subcutaneously into mice with colon cancer or melanoma and injected a glucose solution
into the control group.

The results showed that the lactate-treated mice had a significant reduction in tumor growth, while glucose had little effect on tumors in
comparison.

The researchers then used genetic engineering to engineer the mice so that they lacked T cells and did the same experiments
on the mice.

Lactate enhances anti-tumor immunity through CD8+ T cells

In a follow-up study, the researchers found that lactic acid alone did not completely eliminate the tumor
.

In addition, the researchers also found that lactic acid also significantly improved the effectiveness of the anti-cancer vaccine and improved the anti-cancer response
of cultured T cells injected into tumor mice.

Further single-cell RNA sequencing analysis showed that lactate therapy significantly increased the number of
CD8+ T cells infiltrated in tumors.

The T cells of the lactate-treated mice expressed more genes associated with stem cell-like T cells than those that did not receive lactate treatment, while the number of genes associated with depletion markers was smaller, making them more effective in fighting cancer
.

Lactate therapy increases the number of stem cell-like CD8+ T cells in tumors

The researchers say the results suggest that lactic acid can be used to complement existing immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, and CAR-T cell therapies
.

Studies have also shown that exercise raises lactate levels, may have a protective effect on cancer, or may also boost the immune system to fight cancer
.

In summary, the study reveals the role of lactic acid in anti-tumor immunity, lactic acid can enhance anti-cancer immunity, this finding is expected to be used to develop new strategies, thereby enhancing the anti-tumor effect
of cancer immunotherapy.

Thesis Links:

https://doi.