From Muscle Building to Cancer Fighting.. A New Discovery About Creatine

SadaNews - The name creatine has been associated for many years with the world of sports and bodybuilding, as it is considered one of the most popular dietary supplements used by athletes to enhance strength, energy, and improve performance during workouts.

However, a recent preliminary study opened up a completely different perspective on this compound, indicating that it may play a role in supporting certain immune cells responsible for fighting tumors.

The study, conducted by the University of California, Los Angeles, and published in the journal iScience last April, does not imply that creatine has become a cancer treatment, nor does it provide a medical recommendation for patients to use it. Instead, it presents a promising scientific hypothesis: Could a well-known dietary supplement help the immune system perform better in combating cancer cells?

What is Creatine?

Creatine is a natural compound made up of three amino acids and is primarily found in muscles and the brain. Humans obtain some of it by consuming red meat and seafood, while the body produces about one gram daily in the liver, pancreas, and kidneys.

The body stores creatine in the muscles as creatine phosphate, a form that helps provide quick energy for cells, especially during intense physical effort. This is why it has become popular among athletes and bodybuilders as a supplement that aids in performance enhancement and increases muscle mass when taken within recommended dosages.

However, the new interest in creatine does not stem from its muscle-supporting ability, but from its potential impact on immune cells that play a significant role in cancer resistance.

Creatine and Immune Cell Support

The recent study focused on two main types of immune cells: dendritic cells and killer T cells.

Dendritic cells act as an alarm system within the immune response; they capture signals associated with cancer cells and display them to T cells, helping them recognize and attack the tumor. On the other hand, killer T cells are among the most important weapons used by the body to confront abnormal cells.

According to the results of experiments conducted on mouse models and human cells, creatine appeared to enhance the activity of dendritic cells, which may aid in better activating T cells against tumors.

This point is particularly significant because many modern immunotherapies for cancer rely on stimulating T cells, but they do not succeed with all patients. The study suggests that supporting dendritic cells, which train and guide T cells, may provide an additional avenue for improving immune response.

The Secret Lies in the Creatine Transporter

The idea began when researchers examined the most active metabolic genes within dendritic cells that had infiltrated tumors in mice. They found that the gene responsible for transporting creatine into cells was more active within the dendritic cells located in the tumor compared to those in healthy tissues.

To understand the significance of this, the researchers engineered dendritic cells lacking the creatine transporter. The result was that these cells lost part of their activation capacity and became weaker in stimulating T cells to attack the tumor.

When the dendritic cells that could not take in creatine were cultivated with T cells in the lab, they divided at a lower rate and produced smaller amounts of the immune signals required to combat cancer. This reinforced the hypothesis that creatine may be a crucial part of the energy system these cells need to function efficiently.

What Happens When Creatine Increases?

Next, the researchers conducted a reverse experiment; instead of reducing creatine levels, they attempted to raise them to see if that would improve immune cell performance.

Experiments on mice with skin cancer showed that daily creatine supplementation significantly slowed tumor growth and increased the number of active dendritic cells within the tumor. These cells also became better at secreting chemical signals that attract more killer T cells to the tumor area.

Researchers explain that creatine may help dendritic cells maintain stable energy levels within the tumor environment, which is highly competitive for nutrients and energy due to the rapid growth of cancer cells.

Creatine, as suggested by the study, may increase levels of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) within dendritic cells, which is the main energy source cells rely on to perform their vital functions. This way, these cells can remain more capable of activation and sending necessary immune signals.

Preliminary Results on Human Cells

The study did not only focus on mice, as researchers also tested the effects of creatine on human dendritic cells in the lab. The results showed that creatine enhanced the activation of these cells and improved their ability to stimulate human T cells against a cancer-related target.

These results do not mean that the same effect will necessarily occur within the human body, but they provide researchers with an additional reason to study creatine within immunotherapy strategies, especially in the field of dendritic cell-based vaccines, which are designed to stimulate the immune system to recognize and attack tumors.

Researchers believe that creatine may be used in the future in two potential ways: either as a supportive supplement for patients receiving immunotherapy, or as a tool to enhance the quality of dendritic cell-based vaccines before administering them to patients. However, all of this is still in the research phase and has not yet transitioned into therapeutic recommendations.

Hope and Caution

Although the results seem intriguing, researchers emphasize that the study is still in the early stages, and it was conducted on cells and animal models, not on cancer patients. Therefore, it should not be treated as evidence that creatine consumption can prevent or treat cancer.

Moreover, creatine has been used for decades as a dietary supplement and is generally considered safe when taken in recommended dosages by healthy individuals. However, cancer patients, in particular, should not add any dietary supplement to their regimen without consulting a doctor, as supplements may interact with certain treatments or affect health in ways that vary from patient to patient.

The crucial next step is clinical trials in humans to determine whether creatine supplementation can indeed improve immunotherapy outcomes for patients, at what dosages, under which conditions, and with which types of cancer.

So far, creatine remains a well-known supplement in the world of sports, but it has also become a new focus in immunology and cancer laboratories. Amid scientific promise and medical caution, the key message remains clear: the results are promising, but they still mark the beginning of a long road that needs to be proven.

Source: Al Jazeera