Scientists at the University of Chicago have discovered that a fatty acid found in beef, lamb and dairy products could help the immune system fight cancerous tumors.
The research, titled Trans-vaccenic acid reprograms CD8+ T cells and anti-tumour immunity, was published in the scientific journal Nature on Nov. 22. The study found that a long-chain fatty acid called trans-vaccenic acid (TVA) improves the ability of CD8+ T cells—a group of immune cells—to kill cancerous or virally infected cells.
Patients with higher levels of TVA in the blood responded better to immunotherapy, suggesting that TVA could be a nutritional supplement in the clinical treatment of cancer.
“There are many studies trying to decipher the link between diet and human health, and it’s very difficult to understand the underlying mechanisms because of the wide variety of foods people eat,” said Jing Chen, Ph.D., one of the study’s senior authors.
“But if we focus on just the nutrients and metabolites derived from food, we begin to see how they influence physiology and pathology,” Chen continued.
For this study, the researchers created a “blood nutrient” compound library that contained 255 bioactive molecules derived from nutrients. They screened each of the compounds for their ability to influence anti-tumor immunity by activating CD8+ T cells. After evaluating the top six candidates in both human and mouse cells, TVA was determined to perform the best.
TVA is the most abundant trans fatty acid found in human milk, but the body cannot actually produce it on its own, the researchers said. Only about 20% of TVA is broken down in the body, with the remaining 80% circulating in the blood, leading the researchers to believe TVA served a greater purpose.
After conducting further studies, the research team determined that feeding mice a diet with TVA reduced the tumor growth potential of melanoma and colon cancer cells, as well as boosted the ability of CD8+ T cells to infiltrate tumors. After taking blood samples from patients undergoing immunotherapy treatment for lymphoma, it was determined that those with higher levels of TVA tended to respond to treatment better.
The researchers noted that the study shouldn’t be used as an excuse to “eat more cheeseburgers and pizza” but rather indicates that nutrient supplements could be used to promote T cell activity.
“There is early data showing that other fatty acids from plants signal through a similar receptor, so we believe there is a high possibility that nutrients from plants can do the same thing by activating the CREB pathway as well,” Chen said, referring to the pathway involved in cellular growth, survival and differentiation. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
