Can apples fight cancer? Only if they partner with gut agent, Chinese team finds

The potential cancer-fighting effects of the antioxidant quercetin – found in a variety of foods including onions, apples and durian – are partly dependent on the presence of microbes in our gut, a Chinese research team has found.

Quercetin has shown promise in preventing tumour metastasis and growth in various studies, though the exact mechanism behind how the compound may inhibit cancer growth remains elusive.

Through experiments in mice, the team from Shandong University found that a microbial metabolite called DOPAC – produced when gut microbes break down quercetin – inhibited tumour growth via the activation of immune cells.

Giving the mice antibiotics alongside quercetin blocked those effects, suggesting that the anticancer effects of the antioxidant were not direct and rather depended on its metabolite to strengthen the immune system’s ability to fight cancer.

“Our findings underscore the role of microbial metabolites of dietary nutrients in modulating anti-tumour immune responses, positioning DOPAC as a promising candidate for cancer immunotherapy,” the team said in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Metabolism last month.

Existing cancer therapy relies on the use of synthetic chemicals, which have allowed for major strides in treating the disease but can come with side effects like targeting healthy, non-cancerous tissues along with cancer cells.

  

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