A simple supplement could help the immune system fight cancer and viruses
Researchers have discovered that arginine deficiency can weaken the immune system's ability to detect cancer and viruses by inhibiting the production of MHC-1 proteins. Supplementing with arginine may help restore this immune function and improve the efficacy of existing cancer therapies.
Why it matters
This finding offers a low-cost, accessible potential intervention to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapies for cancer and viral infections.
Arginine is an amino acid that supports many essential functions throughout the body. It helps cells build proteins that carry out a wide range of biological processes. The body produces arginine naturally, and people also obtain it from many protein-rich foods. Abnormally low arginine levels have been linked to several diseases, including colon cancer.
Sohail Tavazoie, who leads Rockefeller University's Elizabeth and Vincent Meyer Laboratory of Systems Cancer Biology, has spent years studying this connection. In 2023, his team reported that depriving colon cancer cells of arginine caused them to accumulate more mutations.
Their latest research shows that arginine deficiency may also weaken the immune system. When arginine is scarce, cells struggle to produce MHC-1, a protein that helps alert the immune system to threats such as mutated cells and invading viruses.
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