Membranes for Solute Selective Separations

Whereas cyclophosphamide (CTX) is proven to be effective for a broad spectrum of cancer, its application is, however, often hindered by its adverse effects in terms of lymphopenia, myelosuppression and etc. Here we describe a method to improve the effectiveness of CTX by remodulating gut microbiota with jujube powder, a natural nuturient. With murince colon cancer as a model system, we observed that the administration of jujube powder enriched the the diversity of gut microbiota, paricularlty the abundance of Bifidobacteriales associated with the production of SCFAs . Compared to the CTX treated group, the application of jujube powder significantly increased the infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells in the tumor microenvironment on one hand, and lifted CTX-induced immunosuppression shown by the spleen index, the ratios of lymphocytes and granulocytes in peripheral blood, CD8⁺ T cells from the bone marrow, as well as the hematopoietic cytokines, on the other hand. These encouraging results confirmed again the important role of gut microbiota in the cancer treatment and indicated unlimited potentials for natural nutrients in remodulating gut microbiota to enhance cancer chemotherapy.