Cancer treatment: A berry from Brazil helps out

Date:
February 2, 2022
Source:
University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM)
Summary:
Castalagin, a polyphenol from the Amazonian fruit camu-camu,
increases the efficacy of immunotherapy in mice by modifying their
microbiome, researchers find.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Castalagin, a polyphenol from the Amazonian fruit camu-camu, increases
the efficacy of immunotherapy in mice by modifying their microbiome,
Canadian researchers find.


========================================================================== Canadian researchers have discovered that the Brazilian camu-camu
berry, already recognized for its protective effects against obesity
and diabetes, can also help to treat cancers.

In a study published in Cancer Discovery, the team of researcher Bertrand Routy, a professor in Universite' de Montre'al's Department of Medicine,
shows one compound from the fruit can have a positive role to play in immunotherapy.

"With this research, conducted with our colleagues from Universite' Laval
and McGill University, we have proved that castalagin, a polyphenol acting
as a prebiotic, modifies the gut microbiome and improves immunotherapy response, even for cancers resistant to this type of treatment," said
Dr. Routy.

"Our results pave the way for clinical trials that will use castalagin
as a complement to medications called immune checkpoint inhibitors in
cancer patients," added Meriem Messaoudene, a postdoctoral student in
Dr. Routy's lab and first author of the study.

In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have given patients
renewed hope that their immune systems can overcome cancer resistance
by revolutionizing therapies targeting melanoma and lung cancer. This
type of immunotherapy activates the immune system to kill cancer cells.

A hunt for new approaches Despite these improvements, only a minority of patients have long-lasting responses to immunotherapy akin to a cure,
so researchers like Routy have been on the hunt for new therapeutic
approaches. Their ultimate goal is to turn an unhealthy microbiome into
a healthy one in order to strengthen the immune system.

Among the strategies Routy has come up with is one that employs
prebiotics, chemical compounds that can improve the composition of the
gut microbiome.

"To evaluate the beneficial effects of castalagin, we orally administered
the prebiotic to mice that had received a fecal transplant from
patients resistant to ICI," he said. "We found that castalagin binds to
a beneficial intestinal bacteria, Ruminococcus bromii, and promotes an anti-cancer response." The discovery will soon be tested in patients
thanks to the launch of the first clinical trial combining the camu-camu
berry and ICIs. Recruitment of 45 patients with lung cancer or melanoma
will begin this month at the CHUM and the Jewish General Hospital.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Montreal_Hospital_Research_Centre_(CRCHUM).

Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Meriem Messaoudene, Reilly Pidgeon, Corentin Richard, Mayra Ponce,
Khoudia Diop, Myriam Benlaifaoui, Alexis Nolin-Lapalme, Florent
Cauchois, Julie Malo, Wiam Belkaid, Stephane Isnard, Yves Fradet,
Lharbi Dridi, Dominique Velin, Paul Oster, Didier Raoult, Francois
Ghiringhelli, Romain Boidot, Sandy Chevrier, David T Kysela,
Yves V Brun, Emilia Liana Falcone, Genevieve Pilon, Florian Plaza
Onate, Oscar Gitton-Quent, Emmanuelle Le Chatelier, Sylvere Durand,
Guido Kroemer, Arielle Elkrief, Andre Marette, Bastien Castagner,
Bertrand Routy. A natural polyphenol exerts antitumor activity
and circumvents anti-PD-1 resistance through effects on the
gut microbiota. Cancer Discovery, 2022; candisc.0808.2021 DOI:
10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-0808 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/02/220202111801.htm

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