Common vitamin byproduct may help cancer evade immune system, study finds

This post was originally published on this site.

A substance the body makes fromvitamin Acan make the immune system less effective at fighting cancer, a new study reveals.

Vitamin A itself is an essential nutrient, but one of its byproducts can accidentally “turn off” parts of the immune response against cancer, according to new research published in Nature Immunology.

Blocking that byproduct’s effects can restore immune activity and may improve cancer immunotherapy, the findings suggest.

Read More → Family dinners may keep teenagers off drink and drugs, says new research

FAST-GROWING CANCER COULD BE SLOWED BY COMMON BLOOD PRESSURE DRUG, RESEARCH SHOWS

Researchers at the Princeton University Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Researchmade this discoveryby growing dendritic cells, key immune cells that activate the body’s defenses, in a lab. 

As these cells developed, the scientists noticed they naturally turned on an enzyme that makes retinoic acid, a molecule that comes from vitamin A.

Scientist working with test scopes and microscope in lab.

Scientists found that when dendritic cells made a lot of the retinoic acid, they were less able to send strong danger signals to the immune system.(iStock)

Retinoic acid can weaken dendritic cells’ ability to stimulate immune responses.This reduces the effectiveness of dendritic cell vaccines, an immunotherapy that trains the immune system toattack cancer, according to the study.

The researchers also found that when dendritic cells made a lot of the retinoic acid, they were less able to send strong danger signals to the immune system.

Woman holding vitamin bottle - cancer study

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient, but one of its byproducts can accidentally “turn off” parts of the immune response against cancer.(iStock)

A second study, published in iScience by collaborators from the same research group, looked at how to develop drugs to block this process.

onelink.me/xLDS?pid=AppArticleLink&af_web_dp=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.

Usingcomputer modelingand large drug screens, the team designed and identified small molecules that blocked the enzymes that produce retinoic acid. 

Read More → Did they get him?Khamenei’s fate remains unknown after Israeli strike levels his compound

This led to the creation of a promising inhibitor that shuts down retinoic acid production in a controlled way, the same tool used in the first study’s experiments, the researchers noted.

Read More → JONATHAN TURLEY: Jack Smith’s secret surveillance of Patel and Wiles should alarm us all

immune responses to cancer,” lead researcher Yibin Kang said in a press release.

“In exploring this phenomenon, we also solved a long-standing challenge in pharmacology by developing safe and selectiveinhibitors of retinoic acidsignaling and established preclinical proof of concept for their use in cancer immunotherapy.”

Elderly man taking vitamin K

Vitamin A remains an essential nutrient for normal immune function, growth and vision, according to the National Institute of Health.(iStock)

Study limitations

As these findings are based on laboratory and animal models, they may not fully reflect how retinoic acid functions in humans.

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

Read More → Trump admin asks Supreme Court to end temporary protected status for Syrian migrants

Also, the studies examined a specific vitamin A-derived molecule (retinoic acid) acting in immune cells, not dietary vitamin A intake or overall vitamin A status.

Vitamin A remains an essential nutrient for normal immune function, growth and vision, according to the National Institutes of Health, and extensive human studies have found no evidence that vitamin A causes cancer.

Khloe Quill is a

Must Read

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top