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REVIEW article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Nutritional Immunology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1442788
This article is part of the Research Topic Cross Talk Between Diet, Microbiome, and Cancer View all 4 articles

Exploring Micronutrients and Microbiome Synergy: Pioneering new paths in cancer therapy

Provisionally accepted
  • 1 Bennett University, Greater Noida, India
  • 2 Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv District, Israel
  • 3 Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
  • 4 National Institute of Immunology (NII), New Delhi, Delhi, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The human microbiome is the complex ecosystem consisting of trillions of microorganisms that play a key role in developing the immune system and nutrient metabolism. Alterations in the gut microbiome have been linked to cancer initiation, progression, metastasis, and response to treatment. Accumulating evidence suggests that levels of vitamins and minerals influence the gut environment and may have implications for cancer risk and progression. Bifidobacterium has been reported to reduce the colorectal cancer risk by binding to free iron.Additionally, zinc ions have been shown to activate the immune cells and enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy. Higher selenium levels have been associated with a reduced risk of several cancers, including colorectal cancer. In contrast, enhanced copper uptake has been implicated in promoting cancer progression, including colon cancer. The interaction between cancer and gut bacteria, as well as dysbiosis impact has been studied in animal models.The interplay between prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics and gut bacteria in cancer offers the diverse physiological benefits. We also explored the particular probiotic formulations like VSL#3, Prohep, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG), etc., for their ability to modulate immune responses and reduce tumor burden in preclinical models. Targeting the gut microbiome through antibiotics, bacteriophage, microbiome transplantation-based therapies will offer a new perspective in cancer research. Hence, to understand this interplay, we outline the importance of micronutrients with an emphasis on the immunomodulatory function of the microbiome and highlight the microbiome's potential as a target for precision medicine in cancer treatment.

    Keywords: microbiome, Cancer, Micronutrients, Probiotics, Dysbiosis

    Received: 02 Jun 2024; Accepted: 18 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chaudhary, Bhatnagar, Jha, Dalal, Patki, Gupta, Kumar and Kumar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Sarika Chaudhary, Bennett University, Greater Noida, India

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.