Plaza-Diaz Julio, Brandimonte-Hernández Marco, López-Plaza Bricia, Ruiz-Ojeda Francisco Javier, Álvarez-Mercado Ana Isabel, Arcos-Castellanos Lucía, Feliú-Batlle Jaime, Hummel Thomas, Palma-Milla Samara, Gil Angel
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II, School of Pharmacy, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria IBS.GRANADA, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Granada, 18014 Granada, Spain.
Nutrients. 2025 Jan 10;17(2):246. doi: 10.3390/nu17020246.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Dysgeusia contributes to malnutrition and worsens the quality of life of patients with cancer. Despite the different strategies, there is no effective treatment for patients suffering from taste disorders provided by the pharmaceutical industry. Therefore, we developed a novel strategy for reducing side effects in cancer patients by providing a novel food supplement with the taste-modifying glycoprotein miraculin, which is approved by the European Union, as an adjuvant to medical-nutritional therapy.
A pilot randomized, parallel, triple-blind, and placebo-controlled intervention clinical trial was carried out in which 31 malnourished patients with cancer and dysgeusia receiving antineoplastic treatment were randomized into three arms-standard dose of dried miracle berries (DMBs) (150 mg DMB/tablet), high dose of DMBs (300 mg DMB/tablet), or placebo (300 mg freeze-dried strawberry)-for three months. Patients consumed a DMB or placebo tablet before each main meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). Using stool samples from patients with cancer, we analyzed the intestinal microbiome via nanopore methodology.
We detected differences in the relative abundances of genera and depending on the treatment. Nevertheless, only the genus was more abundant in the standard-dose DMB group after 3 months. At the species level, sp. PHL 2737 presented a relatively low abundance in both DMB groups, whereas presented a relatively high abundance in both treatment groups after 3 months. Furthermore, a standard dose of DMB was positively associated with TNF-α levels and and abundances, and a high dose of DMB was negatively associated with TNF-α levels and the relative abundance of . Following the administration of a high dose of DMB, a positive correlation was observed between erythrocyte polyunsaturated fatty acids and the presence of and . Additionally, a positive association was identified between and the acetic acid concentration of feces. There was a negative association between the relative abundance of and taste perception in the high-dose DMB group.
The combination of DMB intake with nutritional treatment and individualized dietary guidance results in positive changes in the intestinal microbiome of patients with cancer and dysgeusia. Changes observed in the intestinal microbiome might contribute to maintaining an appropriate immune response in cancer patients. As the current pilot study included a limited number of participants, further clinical trials on a larger group of patients are needed to draw robust findings.
背景/目的：味觉障碍会导致营养不良，并恶化癌症患者的生活质量。尽管有不同的策略，但制药行业并未为患有味觉障碍的患者提供有效的治疗方法。因此，我们开发了一种新策略，通过提供一种新型食品补充剂来减少癌症患者的副作用，该补充剂含有经欧盟批准的味觉修饰糖蛋白奇果蛋白，作为医学营养治疗的辅助手段。
进行了一项先导性随机、平行、三盲和安慰剂对照干预临床试验，将31名接受抗肿瘤治疗且患有味觉障碍的营养不良癌症患者随机分为三组——标准剂量的干奇迹果（DMBs）（150毫克DMB/片）、高剂量的DMBs（300毫克DMB/片）或安慰剂（300毫克冻干草莓）——为期三个月。患者在每餐（早餐、午餐和晚餐）前服用一片DMB或安慰剂。我们使用癌症患者的粪便样本，通过纳米孔方法分析肠道微生物群。
我们检测到不同属的相对丰度因治疗而异。然而，仅3个月后，标准剂量DMB组中的某一属更为丰富。在物种水平上，某一菌种在两个DMB组中的丰度相对较低，而另一菌种在3个月后的两个治疗组中丰度相对较高。此外，标准剂量的DMB与TNF-α水平以及某些属的丰度呈正相关，高剂量的DMB与TNF-α水平以及另一属的相对丰度呈负相关。服用高剂量DMB后，观察到红细胞多不饱和脂肪酸与某些属的存在之间呈正相关。此外，还发现某一属与粪便中的乙酸浓度呈正相关。高剂量DMB组中某一属的相对丰度与味觉感知之间存在负相关。
摄入DMB与营养治疗及个性化饮食指导相结合，会使患有味觉障碍的癌症患者的肠道微生物群发生积极变化。在肠道微生物群中观察到的变化可能有助于维持癌症患者适当的免疫反应。由于当前的先导性研究纳入的参与者数量有限，需要对更多患者进行进一步的临床试验以得出可靠的结果。
