Preclinical research found that creatine increased the energy and activation of dendritic cells, strengthened tumor-specific T-cell responses and slowed melanoma growth in mice, though human trials are still needed.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Creatine may support the immune system’s ability to recognize and attack cancer by improving the energy and function of specialized immune cells, according to a study published in the journal iScience.
The research examined dendritic cells, which help coordinate immune responses by capturing fragments of tumor cells and presenting them to T cells. Those T cells can then identify and attack cancerous cells.
The study was led by Lili Yang, a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research.
Researchers found that dendritic cells unable to absorb creatine had lower survival rates, weaker activation and a reduced ability to prepare cancer-fighting T cells for an immune response.
When creatine was added to normal dendritic cells, the cells displayed higher energy levels, stronger activation and increased production of signaling molecules involved in coordinating immune activity.
The findings suggest that creatine, which is best known for supporting muscle performance and exercise recovery, may also help immune cells meet the intense energy demands involved in detecting and fighting tumors.
Dendritic cells function as scouts within the immune system. They identify potential threats, collect pieces of abnormal or foreign cells and present those materials to T cells.
That process allows T cells to recognize a specific target and mount a focused immune attack. When dendritic cells are weakened or unable to function properly, the body may have greater difficulty generating an effective response against cancer.
The researchers conducted experiments using mouse immune cells, a mouse model of melanoma and human immune cells collected from healthy donors.
In mice with melanoma, creatine supplementation slowed tumor growth compared with untreated animals.
Tumor analysis also showed that mice receiving creatine had more activated dendritic cells and stronger T-cell responses.
The results were not limited to mice. Human dendritic cells treated with creatine also showed stronger activation and a greater ability to stimulate tumor-specific T cells.
Those findings were consistent with the mouse experiments and provided additional evidence that creatine may influence immune-cell function across species.
The researchers emphasized that the results remain preclinical. The study did not establish that creatine supplementation can prevent cancer, treat tumors or improve survival in human patients.
Human clinical trials will be necessary to determine whether the immune effects observed in the laboratory translate into meaningful benefits for people with cancer.
The study focused on the role of cellular energy in immune function.
Dendritic cells require a steady and rapidly available energy supply when they detect threats, become activated and communicate with other parts of the immune system.
Creatine helps cells maintain energy availability during periods of high demand.
Inside the body, creatine is converted into phosphocreatine. That compound helps regenerate adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which serves as the principal energy source used by cells.
When cellular demand increases, the creatine-phosphocreatine system helps replenish ATP and stabilize energy levels.
Creatine kinase, an enzyme involved in that energy-recycling process, is found in several tissues, including immune cells.
The UCLA researchers found that creatine’s effects on cellular energy influenced an important immune pathway involved in inflammation and activation.
In dendritic cells capable of absorbing creatine, supplementation strengthened the pathway. In cells that could not take up creatine, the pathway was suppressed.
The findings indicate that creatine was not merely present around the cells but directly affected the energy-dependent signaling needed for dendritic-cell activation.
The study builds on earlier research from Yang’s laboratory showing that creatine also supports killer T cells.
Killer T cells directly attack tumor cells after they have been activated and directed toward a target. Dendritic cells play a central role in initiating that response.
Together, the findings suggest that creatine may support cancer immunity at more than one stage by helping dendritic cells organize the immune response and providing energy to the T cells that carry out the attack.
Researchers also noted that cancer patients, particularly those with advanced disease, have sometimes been found to have lower creatine levels.
Those lower levels may be associated with cachexia, a severe condition involving muscle wasting, weight loss and metabolic deterioration that can occur during late-stage cancer.
Cachexia places the body in a catabolic state in which muscle and other tissues are broken down faster than they can be restored.
Experts discussing cancer care have said that improving a patient’s underlying physiology and nutritional condition may contribute to better treatment outcomes, though creatine should not be viewed as a stand-alone remedy for cachexia or cancer.
A separate review of approximately 10 years of U.S. dietary data found an association between higher creatine intake from food and a lower incidence of cancer.
That analysis was observational and could not establish that creatine directly reduced cancer risk. Other dietary, lifestyle or health differences may have contributed to the association.
The current study likewise does not prove that people who consume more creatine will develop fewer cancers or respond better to treatment.
It instead identifies a possible biological mechanism through which creatine could improve the function of immune cells involved in cancer defense.
Creatine is naturally produced by the body and is also found in certain foods. It is widely sold as a dietary supplement, most commonly in the form of creatine monohydrate.
The researchers described creatine as generally well tolerated and supported by an extensive safety record, particularly at standard supplemental amounts.
A commonly used dose of creatine monohydrate is 3 to 5 grams per day to maintain creatine levels.
That standard dosing information should not be interpreted as a cancer-treatment recommendation. The study did not establish an effective clinical dose for cancer patients, and individual medical conditions, kidney function, medications and cancer treatments may affect whether supplementation is appropriate.
Patients undergoing cancer treatment should discuss creatine or any other supplement with their oncology team before beginning use.
The findings could eventually have implications for cancer immunotherapy.
Dendritic-cell therapy is already used in some treatment settings. In that approach, dendritic cells are collected from a patient’s blood, expanded or prepared outside the body and then returned to the patient to stimulate an immune response against cancer.
The new research raises the possibility that creatine could be used as an adjunct to improve the energy, activation or effectiveness of dendritic cells used in such therapies.
Researchers have not yet demonstrated that adding creatine to dendritic-cell treatment improves outcomes in patients.
Future studies will need to determine whether creatine can enhance existing immunotherapies, which cancer types might respond, how treatment should be timed and whether supplementation affects tumor growth or survival.
Clinical trials would also need to examine interactions with chemotherapy, radiation, targeted drugs and other immune-based treatments.
The study adds to growing research suggesting that creatine has biological roles beyond muscle strength and athletic performance.
Its ability to stabilize cellular energy may be relevant to the brain, nervous system and immune system, particularly in cells that must respond rapidly under stressful conditions.
For cancer immunity, the latest findings suggest that dendritic cells depend partly on creatine to survive, activate and communicate effectively with tumor-fighting T cells.
In laboratory and animal experiments, providing additional creatine strengthened those functions and slowed melanoma growth.
The evidence remains preliminary, and researchers did not recommend creatine as a cancer treatment.
The results instead provide a basis for further investigation into whether a familiar and widely used compound could one day support immune therapies or help strengthen the body’s natural response to tumors.
Explainer Infographic
Comments