Creatine is typically associated with bodybuilding as a supplement to help people build muscle, improve performance, and aid recovery after exercise. The list of its potential benefits might not end there, however. A new study, published in iScience, suggests it could one day play a role in cancer treatment.
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have found that creatine may support the immune system by affecting specialized immune cells called dendritic cells.
Dendritic cells not only help detect tumor cells but also activate the body’s killer T cells, the immune cells responsible for fighting cancer cells.
Previous research from the UCLA team had identified that creatine could boost the activity of these killer T cells. Their new study suggests that creatine could go a step further by boosting the cells coordinating this immune response.
“What this study shows is that creatine doesn’t just help the T cells fighting cancer — it also energizes the entire infrastructure that supports and guides them,” explained Lili Yang, senior author of the study and a professor of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics at UCLA, in a press release.
“That makes creatine a promising supplement to holistically support the immune response that modern immunotherapies depend on.”
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In the study, the researchers began by examining dendritic cells from mice. They examined dendritic cells that had infiltrated tumors, as well as cells from healthy tissue.
The researchers found that dendritic cells from tumors produced more of the creatine transporter (CrT) protein than those from healthy tissue. The role of CrT is to help transport creatine into cells.
Creatine is a naturally occurring acid that supports energy production. While the body can make some of what it needs each day, around half has to come from dietary sources.
To follow up, the team created some dendritic cells that contained no CrT to see how they fared. They found that these creatine-deficient cells were less active, had lower survival rates, and were less effective at preparing T cells to fight against tumors.
Furthermore, when these dendritic cells with no CrT grew alongside T cells, the T cells multiplied less and produced less of the signaling molecules that are crucial for a strong anti-cancer response.
These initial findings suggested that a deficiency in creatine uptake might impair dendritic cells’ regulation of T-cell responses to harmful cells.
The researchers found that providing creatine to dendritic cells increased their levels of ATP, an energy source that fuels most cellular processes.
In a press release, they described the effects of creatine here as being similar to those of a rechargeable battery, giving dendritic cells the capacity to use and store energy when needed.
This energy-boosting quality appeared to have an impact on how dendritic cells responded to tumor cells.
Looking at mouse cells again, the researchers found that daily creatine injections helped slow tumor growth. Not only this, but they also led to increases in the activity and number of dendritic cells entering tumors.
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The dendritic cells that received creatine released greater levels of the chemical signals that help bring additional immune cells towards tumors to act against them.
The researchers also examined how creatine might affect human dendritic cells in a laboratory environment.
They found that creatine enhanced the activation of human dendritic cells and strengthened their capacity to activate T cells against cancer-related targets.
The type of dendritic cells that the researchers tested in this part of their study are the ones that manufacturers typically use in the production of certain cancer vaccines.
The findings suggest that creatine might be able to play a role in the development of more effective vaccines.
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“The potential we see here is that creatine could be used in two complementary ways: as a supplement to enhance the immune response of patients already receiving immunotherapy, and as a tool to improve the quality of dendritic cell-based vaccines before they’re administered,” said study author and graduate student James Elsten-Brown in a press release.
While immunotherapy can be an important form of treatment for some people with cancer, it is estimated that only between 20% and 40% of patients experience benefits from it at present.
“Immunotherapy has shown remarkable promise, but it only works for a subset of patients,” said Prof. Yang in a press release.
Finding ways to utilize creatine might be one way to raise those percentages and make the treatment more effective.
The study authors also note that other population-based research in the past has reported an association between higher dietary creatine intake and lower cancer incidence.
However, they note that there is still a lot to be done in terms of investigating the effects of creatine, given that their present study only looked at its effects in mice and human cells in a laboratory.
People should not interpret their results as evidence that taking creatine supplements might help with their cancer treatment, they advise, and anyone wanting to start taking a new supplement should discuss it first with their doctor.
Instead, the study authors emphasize that, when it comes to cancer treatment, it’s important to look beyond the individual cells fighting cancer and think holistically about the processes occurring in the body.
“Understanding how to metabolically support dendritic cells is about supporting the entire anti-tumor response, not just the killer T cells at the end of it,” said Elliot Kang, a co-first author of the study and former undergraduate student researcher in a press release.
