Cheese Preservative Slows Oral Cancer Spread in Mice: Study

Good news! Cancer is history! Cheers to preservatives in Cheese! Were we not warned for decades about the dangers of preservatives in food?

Remember all the euthanized mice for this experiment RIP (I blogged here about that)! These animals pay the ultimate price for us!

"The last few decades, scientists have identified more than a dozen pathogens—from human papillomavirus to Helicobacter pylori—that contribute to the progression of cancers. In a study published today (October 1 [2020]) in PLOS Pathogens, researchers demonstrate the mechanism by which three oral bacteria found in cells of the gums promote oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) tumor development and progression in mice. And they show that a bacteriocin, an antimicrobial peptide that bacteria produce, counters the effects of the oral bacteria and slows tumor growth. ..."

"Epidemiological studies reveal significant associations between periodontitis and oral cancer.  ... Previously, we showed that nisin, a bacteriocin and commonly used food preservative, reduced oral cancer tumorigenesis and extended the life expectancy in tumor-bearing mice. In addition, nisin has antimicrobial effects on key periodontal pathogens. Thus, the purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that key periodontal pathogens (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Fusobacterium nucleatum) promote oral cancer via specific host-bacterial interactions, and that bacteriocin/nisin therapy may modulate these responses. ... Nisin inhibited these pathogen-mediated processes. ... Together, these data demonstrate that periodontal pathogens contribute to a highly aggressive cancer phenotype via crosstalk between TLR/MyD88 and integrin/FAK signaling. Nisin can modulate these pathogen-mediated effects, and thus has therapeutic potential as an antimicrobial and anti-tumorigenic agent."

"... As of 2016, nisin was the only bacteriocin generally recognized as safe by the FDA and was used as a food preservative in several countries." (Source)

Cheese Preservative Slows Oral Cancer Spread in Mice: Study | The Scientist Magazine® The results add to mounting evidence of microbes’ roles in tumor growth and point to the possibility of impeding malignancies by inhibiting bacteria.

Here is the link to the respective research paper:

Periodontal pathogens promote cancer aggressivity via TLR/MyD88 triggered activation of Integrin/FAK signaling that is therapeutically reversible by a probiotic bacteriocin