The skin’s microbiome may have protective properties against cancer according to a study published today in Science Advances by researchers at UC San Diego.
The team discovered that a strain of staphylococcus called S. epidermis, which is common on the human skin, produces a chemical compound called 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine (6-HAP) that impairs DNA synthesis and prevents spread of transformed tumor cells. It may also have the ability to suppress development of UV-induced skin tumors.
Mice with S. epidermis that were lacking in 6-HAP had many skin tumors after being exposed to cancer-causing ultraviolet rays. Further studies revealed that mice injected with 6-HAP every 48 hours over a two-week period experienced no apparent toxic effects, but had a reduced tumor size by 50% compared to controls who did not have the injections.
These findings expand current knowledge on the importance of the skin microbiome and with further study may offer a potential treatment target for melanoma.
Image: This is S. epidermidis growing on an agar plate. A strain of S. epidermidis was shown to produce a molecule that kills cancer cells and inhibits the development of skin tumors on mice. Image courtesy of UC San Diego Health.