Gut microbes and brain cancer: new insights from UNIC researchers
A research team from the UNIC Medical School has published a review article in Neuro-Oncology Advances examining how the gut microbiota may influence the development and treatment of glioblastoma, the most aggressive primary brain tumour in adults.
The article, titled ‘From the gut to the brain: The involvement of the gut microbiota in the development and progression of glioblastoma’, is authored by Daniela Toumazi, Christiana Charalambous, Constantina Constantinou and Nicoletta Nicolaou, all from the Department of Basic and Clinical Sciences at the Medical School. The journal Neuro-Oncology Advances is published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology and the European Association of Neuro-Oncology. The article is available open access here: https://doi.org/10.1093/noajnl/vdaf267
The authors summarise current evidence on the gut–brain axis, describing how intestinal microorganisms and their metabolites affect immune regulation, inflammatory pathways, and the tumour microenvironment in glioblastoma. They discuss how changes in gut microbiota composition (dysbiosis) may contribute to the disease’s highly immunosuppressive environment and resistance to treatment.
The review brings together findings on microbial metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids and tryptophan derivatives, as well as cytokines and neurotransmitters, and explains how these can influence immune cells, microglia and the blood–brain barrier. It also outlines how specific bacterial taxa and microbiota-derived markers are being investigated as potential diagnostic or prognostic tools.
In addition, the authors examine emerging therapeutic approaches that target the gut microbiota, including dietary interventions, probiotics and prebiotics, faecal microbiota transplantation, microbiome-informed use of antibiotics and the use of bacterial products or engineered bacteria to improve drug delivery and immune responses in glioblastoma. They also review data suggesting that gut microbiota profiles can affect the response to standard chemotherapy with temozolomide and to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
By consolidating data from experimental and clinical studies, the article maps out key mechanisms linking the gut microbiota with glioblastoma biology and treatment response, and identifies areas where further research is needed to translate these insights into clinical practice. All work for this review was conducted within the University of Nicosia Medical School.
