Miraculin Can Contribute to a Reduction in Inflammatory Biomarkers and Cachexia in Malnourished Patients with Cancer and Taste Disorders
<b>Background:</b> In 2022, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths. The number of new cancer cases is expected to rise to over 35 million by 2050, marking a 75% increase from 2022 levels. Twenty to eighty-six percent of cancer patients suffer from tast...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| author | Ana Isabel Álvarez-Mercado Bricia López-Plaza Julio Plaza-Diaz Lucía Arcos-Castellanos Francisco Javier Ruiz-Ojeda Marco Brandimonte-Hernández Jaime Feliú-Batlle Thomas Hummel Samara Palma-Milla Ángel Gil |
| author_facet | Ana Isabel Álvarez-Mercado Bricia López-Plaza Julio Plaza-Diaz Lucía Arcos-Castellanos Francisco Javier Ruiz-Ojeda Marco Brandimonte-Hernández Jaime Feliú-Batlle Thomas Hummel Samara Palma-Milla Ángel Gil |
| author_sort | Ana Isabel Álvarez-Mercado |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background:</b> In 2022, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths. The number of new cancer cases is expected to rise to over 35 million by 2050, marking a 75% increase from 2022 levels. Twenty to eighty-six percent of cancer patients suffer from taste disorders (TD), which are associated with an increased risk of malnutrition. Cachectic syndrome is linked to the presence and growth of tumors and leads to systemic inflammation. <i>Synsepalum dulcificum</i> is a plant whose berries contain miraculin, a glycoprotein that transforms sour tastes into sweet and can ameliorate TD. <b>Objectives:</b> To evaluate the effect of the regular intake of dried miracle berries (DMBs), a novel food containing miraculin, on biomarkers of inflammation and cachexia in malnourished patients with cancer and TD receiving systemic antineoplastic therapy. <b>Methods:</b> we conducted a triple-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial. Thirty-one patients with cancer of various etiologies who received chemotherapy were enrolled in this pilot study and divided into three groups. The first group received a tablet containing 150 mg of DMB (standard dose), the high-dose group received a tablet of 300 mg of DMB, and the third group received a tablet with 300 mg of the placebo for three months before each main meal. The plasma levels of several molecules associated with inflammation and cancer cachexia were measured using the X-MAP Luminex multiplexing platform. <b>Results</b>: We found decreased plasma levels of IFN-γ in the standard-dose group. In addition, our results suggest a downtrend of IL-1β levels in the three groups after three months of intervention (<i>p</i> = 0.093). Moreover, the three groups showed a reduction in tumor-derived molecule proteolysis-inducing factor/dermcidin (<i>p</i> = 0.021). It is important to highlight the positive correlation between IL-6 and IL-10 in the standard group, which suggests a better balance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Regardless of DMB consumption, soluble TNF receptor type II tended to decrease with treatment in patients who responded well to the antineoplastic treatment (<i>p</i> = 0.011). We did not find significant correlations between cytokines and sensory variables or dietary and nutritional status. <b>Conclusions:</b> Our results suggest that the regular consumption of a standard dose of DMB along with a systemic antineoplastic treatment could contribute to reducing inflammation and cachexia biomarkers in malnourished patients with cancer exhibiting TD. In this sense, nutritional support is crucial in the treatment of cancer cachexia. In our view, it should be considered a coadjuvant of therapeutics. Future studies on the molecular signaling pathways and specific mechanisms of action of bioactive compounds within food supplements, such as miraculin, will allow them to be used to target pathogenic mechanisms of cancer cachexia and malnutrition: NCT05486260. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-225fe50ff1484c8784e9cc1d89a042e9 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1424-8247 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Pharmaceuticals |
| spelling | doaj-art-225fe50ff1484c8784e9cc1d89a042e92025-08-20T03:47:58ZengMDPI AGPharmaceuticals1424-82472025-04-0118562210.3390/ph18050622Miraculin Can Contribute to a Reduction in Inflammatory Biomarkers and Cachexia in Malnourished Patients with Cancer and Taste DisordersAna Isabel Álvarez-Mercado0Bricia López-Plaza1Julio Plaza-Diaz2Lucía Arcos-Castellanos3Francisco Javier Ruiz-Ojeda4Marco Brandimonte-Hernández5Jaime Feliú-Batlle6Thomas Hummel7Samara Palma-Milla8Ángel Gil9Department of Pharmacology, University of Granada, 18071 Granada, SpainFood, Nutrition and Health Platform, Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research (IdiPAZ), 28046 Madrid, SpainInstituto de Investigación Biosanitaria IBS.GRANADA, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Granada, 18014 Granada, SpainFood, Nutrition and Health Platform, Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research (IdiPAZ), 28046 Madrid, SpainInstituto de Investigación Biosanitaria IBS.GRANADA, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Granada, 18014 Granada, SpainCentre of Biomedical Research, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology “José Mataix”, University of Granada, Avda. del Conocimiento s/n, Armilla, 18016 Granada, SpainOncology Department, Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research—IdiPAZ, Hospital Universitario La Paz, 28029 Madrid, SpainMedicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Autonomous University of Madrid, Arzobispo Morcillo 4, 28029 Madrid, SpainFood, Nutrition and Health Platform, Hospital La Paz Institute for Health Research (IdiPAZ), 28046 Madrid, SpainInstituto de Investigación Biosanitaria IBS.GRANADA, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario de Granada, 18014 Granada, Spain<b>Background:</b> In 2022, there were an estimated 20 million new cancer cases and 9.7 million deaths. The number of new cancer cases is expected to rise to over 35 million by 2050, marking a 75% increase from 2022 levels. Twenty to eighty-six percent of cancer patients suffer from taste disorders (TD), which are associated with an increased risk of malnutrition. Cachectic syndrome is linked to the presence and growth of tumors and leads to systemic inflammation. <i>Synsepalum dulcificum</i> is a plant whose berries contain miraculin, a glycoprotein that transforms sour tastes into sweet and can ameliorate TD. <b>Objectives:</b> To evaluate the effect of the regular intake of dried miracle berries (DMBs), a novel food containing miraculin, on biomarkers of inflammation and cachexia in malnourished patients with cancer and TD receiving systemic antineoplastic therapy. <b>Methods:</b> we conducted a triple-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial. Thirty-one patients with cancer of various etiologies who received chemotherapy were enrolled in this pilot study and divided into three groups. The first group received a tablet containing 150 mg of DMB (standard dose), the high-dose group received a tablet of 300 mg of DMB, and the third group received a tablet with 300 mg of the placebo for three months before each main meal. The plasma levels of several molecules associated with inflammation and cancer cachexia were measured using the X-MAP Luminex multiplexing platform. <b>Results</b>: We found decreased plasma levels of IFN-γ in the standard-dose group. In addition, our results suggest a downtrend of IL-1β levels in the three groups after three months of intervention (<i>p</i> = 0.093). Moreover, the three groups showed a reduction in tumor-derived molecule proteolysis-inducing factor/dermcidin (<i>p</i> = 0.021). It is important to highlight the positive correlation between IL-6 and IL-10 in the standard group, which suggests a better balance between proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Regardless of DMB consumption, soluble TNF receptor type II tended to decrease with treatment in patients who responded well to the antineoplastic treatment (<i>p</i> = 0.011). We did not find significant correlations between cytokines and sensory variables or dietary and nutritional status. <b>Conclusions:</b> Our results suggest that the regular consumption of a standard dose of DMB along with a systemic antineoplastic treatment could contribute to reducing inflammation and cachexia biomarkers in malnourished patients with cancer exhibiting TD. In this sense, nutritional support is crucial in the treatment of cancer cachexia. In our view, it should be considered a coadjuvant of therapeutics. Future studies on the molecular signaling pathways and specific mechanisms of action of bioactive compounds within food supplements, such as miraculin, will allow them to be used to target pathogenic mechanisms of cancer cachexia and malnutrition: NCT05486260.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/5/622cachexiacancerDMBmiraculindysgeusiainflammation |
| spellingShingle | Ana Isabel Álvarez-Mercado Bricia López-Plaza Julio Plaza-Diaz Lucía Arcos-Castellanos Francisco Javier Ruiz-Ojeda Marco Brandimonte-Hernández Jaime Feliú-Batlle Thomas Hummel Samara Palma-Milla Ángel Gil Miraculin Can Contribute to a Reduction in Inflammatory Biomarkers and Cachexia in Malnourished Patients with Cancer and Taste Disorders Pharmaceuticals cachexia cancer DMB miraculin dysgeusia inflammation |
| title | Miraculin Can Contribute to a Reduction in Inflammatory Biomarkers and Cachexia in Malnourished Patients with Cancer and Taste Disorders |
| title_full | Miraculin Can Contribute to a Reduction in Inflammatory Biomarkers and Cachexia in Malnourished Patients with Cancer and Taste Disorders |
| title_fullStr | Miraculin Can Contribute to a Reduction in Inflammatory Biomarkers and Cachexia in Malnourished Patients with Cancer and Taste Disorders |
| title_full_unstemmed | Miraculin Can Contribute to a Reduction in Inflammatory Biomarkers and Cachexia in Malnourished Patients with Cancer and Taste Disorders |
| title_short | Miraculin Can Contribute to a Reduction in Inflammatory Biomarkers and Cachexia in Malnourished Patients with Cancer and Taste Disorders |
| title_sort | miraculin can contribute to a reduction in inflammatory biomarkers and cachexia in malnourished patients with cancer and taste disorders |
| topic | cachexia cancer DMB miraculin dysgeusia inflammation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/18/5/622 |
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