A new study has found that pomegranates have a substance that significantly boosts the immune system in order to fight cancer, which trigger a constant supply of endless rejuvenated T cells.
The German scientists that study therapies for colorectal cancer have discovered that urolithin-A, which is a metabolite in red fruit, helps rejuvenate immune T cells to make them better at fight tumors.
Despite the early diagnosis and treatment for colon cancer improving over the past few years, not all patients respond positively to new treatments. This is why cancer remains to be a type of disease with a very high mortality rate when in its advanced stage.
In current research, it implies that ‘immune cells that are supposed to fight the tumor are suppressed by the surrounding tissue of the tumor. As a result, T cells, which are the body’s natural immune response against cancer, are restricted and the tumor is allowed to grow and spread uncontrollably.’
The research team, located in Frankfurt, is led by Professor Florian Greten, and is now much closer to figuring out the problem. What they’ve found is that urolithin A actually recycles and renews mitochondria, which is the so-called power plants inside T cells, all through a process called mitophagy.
When the pomegranate agent is introduced to it, the old and damaged mitochondria in the T cells are thus removed and replaced by new, operative ones. As a result, this changes the genetic makeup of the T cells, which are then more than capable of fighting the cancer tumor.
First author of the study, Dr. Dominic Denk of the Frankfurt University Hospital, said, “Our findings are particularly exciting because the focus is not on the tumor cell but on the immune system—the natural defense against cancer.”
He also shared, “This is where reliable therapeutic approaches are still lacking in the reality of colorectal cancer patients. By improving the combination therapy with existing immunotherapies, the study opens up meaningful possibilities.”
“We hope to use this to sustainably improve the therapy of colorectal cancer, but also of other cancers,” he added.
The researchers were also able to demonstrate the therapeutic potential of urolithin A in two different ways. They explained that ‘On the one hand, urolithin A can be ingested using pomegranates directly as food in the preclinical model, which limits tumor growth and even acts synergistically with existing immunotherapy. On the other hand, the benefits of urolithin A were also observed on human T cells in the laboratory. In vitro treatment with urolithin A “rejuvenates” human T cells, producing T memory stem cells – potent immune stem cells that, due to their ability to divide, constantly supply the immune system with rejuvenated, non-exhausted T cells.’
Based on the study findings, which were published in Immunity journal, the research team intend to apply urolithin A in clinical trials in treatments for people with colon cancer.
In conclusion, Prof. Greten of Georg-Speyer-Haus said, “We are very pleased that we can now quickly transfer our results to the clinic and look forward with excitement to the upcoming clinical trials.”
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