On human skin is a huge number of microorganisms, united under the common name of the skin microbiota. However, do not be afraid: many of these organisms protect people from the onset of psoriasis, acne and other similar diseases. Recently, American scientists have found that bacteria on human skin have another protective function in their arsenal.
©Depositphotos / Found a strain of skin bacteria that effectively destroys cancer cells.
Researchers at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine discovered a strain of bacteria, Staphylococcus epidermidis (epidermal staphylococcus), also present on human skin, which is able to protect its host against cancer.
One of the authors of the study, Richard Gallo, says that this strain can often be found on healthy human skin.
"It has a selective ability to inhibit the growth of certain types of cancer," the scientist notes.
It turned out that this particular strain of bacteria produces the chemical compound 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine (6-HAP). It can stop the spread of cancer cells, as well as inhibit the development of skin tumors caused by ultraviolet radiation.
"A unique strain of skin bacteria produces a chemical compound that kills several types of cancer cells. However, it is not toxic to normal cells," says Richard Gallo.
Experts studied mice on whose skin they “hooked” this strain of bacteria, and then they were exposed to ultraviolet radiation. It turned out that much less skin tumors developed on the skin of such rodents compared to animals from the control group. Bacterial strains were also placed on the skin of the latter, but they were not able to secrete 6-HAP.
The study also showed that intravenous injections of 6-HAP into the body of mice that had been transplanted melanoma cells (the most serious form of skin cancer), reduced the size of tumors by more than 50 percent. Such injections were done every 48 hours for two weeks. No toxic effects were detected.
"Scientists are increasingly finding evidence that the skin's microbiota is an important element in the issue of human health. Earlier we reported that some bacteria on human skin produce antimicrobial peptides that protect us from pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus," adds Richard Gallo.
In the case of S. epidermidis, apparently, it is worth talking about an additional layer of protection that protects people from some forms of cancer, the scientist believes.
Experts conducted a small study that showed that approximately 20 percent of people have strains of S. epidermidis, capable of producing 6-HAP on the skin.
In the future, scientists intend to find out whether people can use 6-HAP to prevent skin cancer. They are also interested to know whether the risk of developing such a disease will increase with the loss of 6-HAP. In addition, they want to understand how 6-HAP is produced; perhaps this will help in the development of new cancer treatments.
The results of the study are presented in the scientific publication Science Advances.
The illustrations are used in agreement with the Depositphotos photobank
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