Can Salt Slow Down Skin Cancer?
03/13/2026A high-salt diet slows the growth of melanomas in mice, making the cancer cells less active.
A research team including Katarzyna Jobin, junior group leader at the Institute for Systems Immunology and the Chair of Microbiology at the University of Würzburg, investigated how a high-salt diet affects melanoma cells in mice. In the process, the researchers uncovered new insights into the underlying mechanism.
Malignant melanoma is among the most aggressive forms of skin cancer. It arises from melanocytes, the pigment-producing cells in the skin that normally protect against UV damage. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people are diagnosed worldwide, with particularly high incidence in Europe and North America.
How a High-Salt Diet Affects Tumor Development
Until now, the effects of salt on tumors were largely attributed to immune system activation. The new study shows that a high-salt diet can directly inhibit melanoma growth in mice—independent of sodium accumulation or the involvement of immune cells in skin and lung tissues. This suggests a direct, tumor-specific effect of salt on melanoma cells.
The study, published in the journal Cell Death & Disease (Nature Portfolio), was a collaborative effort across several research institutions. First authors include Katarzyna Jobin (Microbiology and the Institute for Systems Immunology, University of Würzburg), Clivia Lisowski and Natascha E. Stumpf (both from Institute for Experimental Immunology, University of Bonn). The project was led by Christian Kurts (Institute for Experimental Immunology, University of Bonn).
“We found that under high-salt conditions, the cancer cells revert to a more classical melanocyte state that produces pigment. At the same time, their metabolism slows down drastically and cell division is halted. This reduces their aggressiveness,” summarizes Katarzyna Jobin.
The researchers hope that these findings will eventually contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies that specifically target cancer cell differentiation and metabolism.
Picture caption: A high-salt diet (HSD) can cause melanoma cells to slow down their metabolism, which makes it harder for the tumor to grow. © JMU/ Katarzyna Jobin
Original Publication: High-salt diet induces immune-independent re-differentiation, metabolic shut down and cell cycle arrest of melanoma https://www.nature.com/articles/s41419-025-08329-x#citeas
Research Group: Immune Matrix Dynamiken (Jobin Lab)
Contact
Dr. Katarzyna Jobin
katarzyna.jobin@uni-wuerzburg.de
Public Relations
Christina Bornschein
christina.bornschein@uni-wuerzburg.de
