Scientists believe vitamin could turn natural killer cells into cancer cure

Cancer patients appear to have benefited from natural killer cells obtained from donors in an experimental cancer treatment that It involved an aggressive army of immune system fighters, endowed with the ability to detect malignant cells and destroy them.

The study, published in Medical Express, indicates that natural killer cells were previously treated with nicotinamide, a compound commonly known to most people as niacin or vitamin B3.

“This substance has a special affinity for natural killer cells, enhancing their ability to destroy cancer,” the study says.

As they emphasize, after preparation in the laboratory These natural killers are ready to take on formidable targets. The evolving methodology has shown promise in a pilot study aimed at achieving remission of difficult-to-treat blood cancers.

Until the new study, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, attempts by other groups to use natural killer cell infusions to treat leukemias, lymphomas and other blood cancers had not always been effective. Doctors faced a problem: Some people simply did not respond to the study treatment, which was offered after standard therapy had failed.

Now, taking a unique approach to this new form of cancer treatment, medical scientists from the University of Minnesota’s Department of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation have developed a way to increase the effectiveness of natural killer cells, enhancing their role as a therapeutic agent.

An innovative approach boosted the effects of natural killer cells and induced remission in patients with resistant cancer.

“Allogeneic adoptive transfer of natural killer cells has shown potential for inducing remissions in relapsed or refractory leukemias and lymphomas,” Dr. Frank Cichocki and colleagues write in the journal.

“Strategies to improve natural killer cell survival and function are needed to improve clinical effectiveness. We demonstrate that natural killer cells cultured ex vivo with interleukin-15 (IL-15) and nicotinamide exhibit robust induction of L-selectin, an important lymphocyte adhesion molecule. to find the lymph nodes.”

The use of nicotine in the fight against cancer

Nicotimamide helps the body convert food into energy and is chemically part of the coenzymes NAD+ and NADH, which are essential in redox reactions throughout the body. Among these actions is the production of adenosine triphosphate, ATP, which fuels cellular and metabolic processes.

In 1937, researchers discovered that a systemic disease known as pelegra was caused by niacin deficiency. The disorder is characterized by three Ds: dementia, diarrhea and dermatitis. Without treatment, which simply involves taking niacin, pellegra can be fatal.

The team’s choice of nicotinamide as a natural killer cell enhancer stands out among others. a common water-soluble compound and demonstrates how it can enhance the anti-cancer activity of natural killer cells..

These cells are lymphocytes and members of the innate immune system, the body’s first response to invasive disease. The job of natural killer cells is to help control cancer and invasive microbes.

Meanwhile, scientists developing experimental therapies have simply enhanced these cells to help them attack cancer more effectively. If more evidence shows that this method is effective, then an innovative new approach to treating blood cancer will emerge.

The combination of nicotinamide-enhanced natural killer cells and monoclonal antibody treatment was safe in 30 patients, including 20 with relapsed or difficult-to-treat non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

In cancer FOXO1 acts as a suppressor of malignant cells mainly through its function of promoting programmed cell death. (apoptosis) and inhibit cell cycle progression, angiogenesis and metastasis.

The publication explains that natural killer cells treated with nicotinamide in the laboratory also demonstrated a greater ability to generate an inflammatory and toxic response against cancer cells.