Kayla Jaye
The anticancer activity and molecular mechanisms of action of gut microbial metabolites against human breast cancer cell lines in vitro
This MRes project will evaluate anticancer activity of gut microbial metabolites to understand the precise and mechanistic role of gut microbiome in breast cancer.
Gut microbial metabolites play a vital role in the normal physiological function of the host innate immune system and in the maintenance of host health. Additionally, gut microbial communities play a role in the development, treatment, and prognosis of different cancer types, and have demonstrated promising anticancer potential in several studies. However, reports understanding the molecular mechanisms of action of gut metabolites are limited.
This MRes project aims to investigate the anti-proliferative activity of three select gut metabolites against the MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast adenocarcinoma cell lines in vitro. Additionally, molecular mechanisms of action of the most active metabolites against the cancer cell lines will be assessed, which are currently undefined in the literature. The study will address these existing knowledge gaps by understanding the effects of the selected gut metabolites on the expressions of key apoptotic proteins and biomarkers of breast cancer. The findings of this in vitro study will provide a strong foundation for future in vivo and clinical studies to further investigate the therapeutic potential of these metabolites against breast cancer. This could be instrumental in the development of new anticancer therapies, especially in improving the current understanding of gut microbiota-focused precision cancer therapy.
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