British scientists found that vitamin D can enhance anti-tumor activity

British scientists found that vitamin D can enhance anti-tumor activity.  US “Cancer Research”: British scientists found that vitamin D can enhance anti-tumor activity.

Vitamin D can be produced by sun-exposed skin. It can also be obtained from foods high in fat such as fish, egg yolks, mushrooms, grains and oats.

Fight skin cancer: Studies have found that vitamin D can be used to enhance anti-tumor activity.

A study published in the journal Cancer Research by British researchers showed that increasing vitamin D levels can help inhibit signaling pathways related to the growth and spread of melanoma cells.

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that starts in melanocytes. Compared with basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma is less common, but it is more lethal because it is more likely to spread to other organs if it is not treated early. Nearly 7,000 people in the United States die from melanoma each year, while only 2,000 people die from basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma.

Previous studies have shown the relationship between low levels of vitamin D in the body and the deterioration of melanoma, but its mechanism of action is unclear. Therefore, Newton Bishop, a professor of dermatology at the University of Leeds, and his team studied the results of the lack of vitamin D receptors (VDR) in cells. Vitamin D receptors on the cell surface allow vitamin D to bind to cells.

The researchers used samples of 703 human melanomas and 353 metastatic melanomas (tumors that spread from the primary site) to study the expression of genes that can guide the generation of VDR. In these samples, they looked for links between gene expression and other characteristics, such as melanoma thickness, growth rate, and genetic changes that accelerate tumor growth.

Studies have found that patients with low VDR gene expression levels have tumors that grow faster in their bodies, and show that the expression of proteins involved in promoting immune-mediated anti-cancer activity is reduced. Low VDR expression levels also mean high expression levels of genes that promote tumor growth and spread, especially the gene clusters that control the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway.

Newton-Bishop explained that activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in melanoma can suppress the immune response and reduce the number of immune cells that reach the tumor, thereby improving the anti-cancer effect.

In a mouse experiment, the research team found that increasing the expression of VDR in melanoma cells reduced the activity of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway and slowed the growth of tumors, and also reduced the spread of melanoma cells to the lungs. Studies have shown that vitamin D can be used to reduce the activity of the Wnt /β-catenin pathway and enhance the immune system’s ability to fight melanoma.

Vitamin D can be produced by sun-exposed skin. It can also be obtained from foods high in fat such as fish, egg yolks, mushrooms, grains and oats. Therefore, you can keep your body healthy by getting more sun and eating more vitamin D-rich foods.

(source:internet, reference only)

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