MIT researchers report that the amino acid cysteine, found in many protein-rich foods, can enhance the small intestine’s ability to regenerate after injury in mice by triggering an immune-to-stem-cell signaling cascade. The work, published in Nature, raises the possibility—still untested in people—that diet or supplementation could someday help ease some treatment-related intestinal damage during radiation or chemotherapy.
MIT scientists say they have identified cysteine as a dietary nutrient that can amplify tissue repair in the small intestine after injury.
In mouse experiments, a cysteine-enriched diet expanded and activated CD8 T cells in the intestinal lining. Those immune cells produced the cytokine IL-22, which the researchers said helps stimulate intestinal stem cells to rebuild damaged tissue.
Mice fed a cysteine-rich diet recovered better after radiation exposure, the researchers reported. The team also said it saw similar regenerative effects in unpublished experiments using the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil.
Cysteine occurs naturally in many high-protein foods, including meat, dairy products, legumes such as beans, and nuts, according to the MIT summary of the work.
