Study shows how stress worsens colorectal cancer

While stress is known to significantly contribute to the onset of various health issues a new study on Sunday showed how stress can worsen colorectal cancer CRCA team of Chinese researchers showed that chronic stress disrupts the balance of gut microbiota which then hastens the progression of CRCBy eliminating some gut bacteria and inducing stress they found a particular bacterial species as a potential therapeutic targetThe team from West China Hospital Sichuan University of China used an antibiotic cocktail vancomycin ampicillin neomycin and metronidazole to eradicate gut microbiota It was followed by faecal microbiota transplantation to find whether gut microbiota was necessary for chronic stress to fasten the progression of colorectal cancerThe results showed that while chronic stress increased tumour growth it also decreased beneficial gut bacteria particularly the Lactobacillus genus essential for a healthy immune response against cancerldquoStressrelated CRC progression can be attributed to a reduction in beneficial gut bacteria as this weakens the bodyrsquos immune response against cancerrdquo said lead researcher Dr Qing Li from the varsityLactobacillus being sensitive to vancomycin and ampicillin was found depleted in both the control and stress groups by the antibiotic cocktailTo further explore how Lactobacillus influences CD8 T cell levels which play a crucial role in the bodys antitumour immunity and CRC progression the researchers supplemented mice with Lactobacillus during chronic stress and observed reduced tumour formationldquoThrough faecal analysis we found that Lactobacillus plantarum L plantarum specifically regulated bile acid metabolism and enhanced the function of CD8 T cells This indicates how Lactobacillus may enhance antitumour immunityrdquo Li saidThe research showed potential for Lactobacillusbased therapies in treating patients particularly those affected by chronic stressldquoRestoring beneficial bacteria in the gut such as Lactobacillus could strengthen the bodyrsquos natural defences against colorectal cancerrdquo concluded LiThe study was presented at the United European Gastroenterology Week 2024 in Vienna AustriaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever