immune systems, including those with blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. The study, published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, suggests that mesalamine could help prevent invasive candidiasis by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut.
The researchers found that mesalamine inhibits the growth of C. albicans in the gut, allowing good bacteria to thrive and keep the fungus in check. This discovery could have important implications for patients with compromised immune systems, as invasive candidiasis can be life-threatening. Mesalamine, which is commonly used to treat inflammatory bowel disease, may offer a new preventive approach for this vulnerable patient population.
According to the researchers, this specific type of fungus cannot grow in an environment without oxygen. Their research on mice demonstrated that the drug has the ability to maintain a low oxygen environment, preventing the fungus from thriving in the gut. The study was published today in Cell Host & Microbe.
The team focused on examining how C. albicans colonizes the gut. This particular fungus, well-known for causing vaginal yeast infections, is typically treated with either a topical or oral antifungal and does not usually lead to serious side effects. It also coexists harmlessly in the gut of approximately 60% of individuals.
However, the team observed that when the antibiotics are used, it can result in the excessive growth of the fungus in the gut.The body’s immunity can decrease due to cancer or chemotherapy, allowing the fungus to grow beyond the colon and spread throughout the body, resulting in invasive candidiasis. According to the study’s lead author, Andreas Bäumler, this potentially deadly infection has a mortality rate of around 50%, even with the best available treatment. Patients with leukemia and other blood cancers may need to take antibiotics, which can disrupt the balance of the gut’s microbi.al community. It reduces Clostridia, a group of bacteria that promotes resistance to fungi colonization in the gut. With less Clostridia, C. albicans grows and colonizes in the tract.
“A bloom of C. albicansin the gut during antibiotic therapy is the most common cause of candidemia in people treated for blood cancers,” Bäumler explained. Candidemia is the presence of fungi or yeast in the blood.
Bäumler and his team wanted to understand the factors involved in antibiotic-induced colonization of C. albicans in the gut.
Candida loves simple sugars and oxygen
They first colonized germ-free mice withThe researchers conducted an experiment to determine what Candida needed to grow. They found that the fungus thrived on simple sugars, similar to those found in high-sugar diets. When placed in a petri dish with these sugars in an oxygen-rich environment, Candida grew rapidly. However, when the test was repeated in a low oxygen environment, the fungus did not grow, indicating that oxygen is essential for its growth.
The researchers also looked at the role of probiotics in preventing fungal growth. They conducted a series of experiments to investigate this further.The researchers conducted experiments that demonstrated the use of antibiotics decreased the presence of Clostridia in the gut. When mice were given probiotics, like Clostridia, it prevented C. albicans from growing in the gut. However, antibiotics and cancer therapy can kill probiotics. Due to this, probiotics would not be beneficial for patients with leukemia or other blood cancers.
“Probiotics are often not safe in patients at the highest risk for invasive candidiasis,” Bäumler said. ”Finding a therapy that can function like probiotics but can endure the impact of cancer treatment and antibiotics was important.”
Anti-inflammatory drugs as faux-biotics
The team explored5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), also known as mesalamine, is a safer way to control C. albicans in the gut. This anti-inflammatory drug is commonly used to treat inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
In a study on mice treated with antibiotics, researchers found that 5-ASA could effectively replace the function of probiotics by preventing the expansion of oxygen and C. albicans in the colon.
According to Bäumler, “Limiting oxygen in the gut by replacing the function of good bacteria could be a strategy for reducing invasive candidiasis.” This study introduces a completely new treatment option for fatal infections.Fungal infections, particularly in cancer patients, may not be able to develop resistance to hypoxia.
The team introduced the term “faux-biotics” to describe products like 5-ASA that imitate the function of probiotics such as Clostridia.
The study’s first coauthors are Hannah Savage, Derek Bays, and Connor Tiffany. The other co-authors are Mariela Gonzalez, Eli Bejarano, Thaynara Carvalho, Zheng Luo, Hugo Masson, Henry Nguyen, Renato Santos, Krystle Reagan, and George Thompson of UC Davis.
