Utafiti umeonyesha bakteria ambayo hupatikana kwa kawaida kwenye ngozi yetu hufanya kama "safu" inayoweza kuwalinda dhidi ya saratani
Tukio la kansa ya ngozi imekuwa ikiongezeka kwa kasi katika miongo kadhaa iliyopita. Ngozi kansa ni ya aina mbili - melanoma na isiyo ya melanoma. Aina inayojulikana zaidi ni saratani ya ngozi ya melanoma ambayo husababisha visa milioni 2 na 3 ulimwenguni kila mwaka. Ugonjwa usio na melanoma sio aina ya kawaida na huathiri 130,000 duniani kote lakini pia ni mbaya kwa sababu inaweza kuenea. Moja katika kila tatu saratani kutambuliwa duniani kote ni saratani ya ngozi. Ngozi yetu ndio kiungo kikubwa zaidi cha mwili na pia ni muhimu zaidi kwani inafunika mwili mzima na hutulinda dhidi ya mambo hatari ya nje kama jua, halijoto isiyo ya kawaida, wadudu, vumbi n.k. Ngozi ina jukumu la kudhibiti joto la mwili wetu na kutoa jasho kutoka. mwili wetu. Inafanya muhimu vitamini D na kwa kushangaza, ngozi hutupatia hisia ya kugusa. Sababu kuu ya ngozi kansa ni kufichuliwa kupita kiasi kwa miale hatari ya jua. Kadiri tabaka la ozoni katika angahewa letu linavyopungua taratibu, tabaka la ulinzi linaondoka na kusababisha mionzi ya jua ya UV (ultra-violet) kufikia uso wa dunia. Melanoma kansa, ambayo huanza katika seli za ngozi zinazozalisha rangi, husababishwa na mabadiliko yasiyo ya kawaida katika ngozi wakati kansa seli huanza kukua na sababu kuu inahusishwa kwa namna fulani na kupigwa na jua kwa mtu binafsi na historia yao ya kuchomwa na jua. Ngozi isiyo ya melanoma kansa huanza katika seli za ngozi na hukua kuharibu tishu zilizo karibu. Aina hii ya kansa kwa ujumla haisambai sehemu nyingine za mwili (metastasize) lakini saratani ya melanoma huenea.
Utafiti uliochapishwa katika Maendeleo ya sayansi inaelezea jukumu jipya linalowezekana la vimelea kwenye ngozi zetu katika kutulinda dhidi ya kansa. Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine, USA have identified a strain of the vimelea Staphylococcus epidermidis which is very commonly found on afya human skin. This unique strain of skin vimelea is seen to inhibit growth (kill) of several types of saratani by producing a chemical compound – 6-N-hydroxyaminopurine (6-HAP) in mice. It was clear that only the mice which had this bakteria strain on their skin and thus made 6-HAP did not have ngozi tumors baada ya kuwa wazi kansa causing UV rays. The chemical molecule 6-HAP basically impairs the synthesis (creation) of DNA thereby preventing the spread of tumour cells and also suppressing the development of new skin tumours. The mice were injected with 6-HAP every 48 hours over a period of two weeks. The strain is non-toxic and does not affect normal healthy cells while reducing the already present tumours by almost 50 percent. The authors state that the bakteria strain is adding “another layer” of protection to our skin against kansa.
This study clearly shows that our “skin microbiome” is an important aspect of the protection which skin offers. Some skin vimelea are already known for producing antimicrobial peptides which protect our skin from invasions by pathogenic vimelea. Further studies are required to understand the workings of 6-HAP and whether ideally it could be used as a preventative measure against kansa.
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Chanzo (s)
Nakatsuji T et al. 2018. Aina ya commensal ya Staphylococcus epidermidis hulinda dhidi ya neoplasia ya ngozi. Maendeleo ya sayansi. 4 (2). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aao4502
