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Posted on Mar 15, 2018, 9 p.m.
Researchers from the University of California have uncovered a potential new role for some healthy skin bacteria in protecting against cancer, as published in Science Advances.
A strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis which is common on healthy human skin exerts a selective ability to inhibit growth of some cancers. This strain of skin bacteria produces a chemical that kills several forms of cancer cells that doesn’t appear to be toxic to normal cells.
Staphylococcus epidermidis strain was discovered to produce 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine chemical compound. Mice that didn’t have staphylococcus epidermidis on their skin were observed to develop many skin tumors after exposure to ultraviolet rays, whereas the mice that did have staphylococcus epidermidis strain producing 6-HAP did not.
6-N-hydroxyaminopurine is a molecule that impairs the creation of DNA synthesis, prevents the spread of transformed tumor cells, and the potential to suppress the development of ultraviolet induced skin tumors.
Over a 2 week time frame injections of 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine every 48 hours were given intravenously to mice, these mice displayed no apparent toxic effects, when transplanted into melanoma cells the size of the tumor was suppressed by more than 50% as compared to the controls.
Increasing evidence is suggestive that skin microbiome play an important part in human health, with staphylococcus epidermidis, according to the results of this study, seeming to be adding a layer of protection against some forms of cancer. Further studies are needed to understand how 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine is produced, and if 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine can be used for the prevention of cancer or if loss increases cancer risks.
Every year in the USA over 1 million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed, with upwards of 95% of these cases being nonmelanoma skin cancer that is typically caused by overexposure to UV rays. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer starting in melanocyte skin cells.
Materials provided by University of California - San Diego.
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Journal Reference:
Teruaki Nakatsuji, Tiffany H. Chen, Anna M. Butcher, Lynnie L. Trzoss, Sang-Jip Nam, Karina T. Shirakawa, Wei Zhou, Julia Oh, Michael Otto, William Fenical, Richard L. Gallo. A commensal strain of Staphylococcus epidermidis protects against skin neoplasia. Science Advances, 2018; 4 (2): eaao4502 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao4502
