A recent US study revealed that spinal cord injuries cause changes in the gut's microbial composition, which is linked to disorders in inflammation, immune system function, and muscle health. The results showed that restoring certain beneficial bacteria can help alleviate some complications associated with the injury.
The scientific website Medical Xpress reported on Thursday that results from a study conducted by researchers at Ohio State University, published in the journals 'npj Biofilms and Microbiomes' and 'Communications Biology', showed a correlation between spinal cord injuries and gut microbiome imbalance, highlighting the importance of this balance in the development of complications accompanying nerve injuries.
Impact of Beneficial Bacteria
Experiments conducted on animal models showed that spinal cord injury leads to a continuous decrease in levels of 'Lactobacillus johnsonii' bacteria, which are beneficial to the gut. Reintroducing them to the digestive system contributed to reducing inflammation and limiting weight loss. Researchers also identified 19 types of microbes associated with changes in nitrogen levels in the body, which are changes linked to muscle atrophy in humans.
Complexity of Microbial Interactions
To monitor these changes, researchers created a genetic database of gut microbes, based on the analysis of 333 samples, through which they identified 6,635 primary microbial genomes. This allowed them to study interactions between different types of microbes. The results showed that the injury's impact on the microbial composition varies depending on its location in the spinal cord, the sex of the organism, and the time elapsed since the injury, reflecting the complexity of the relationship between nerve injuries and the gut's microbial environment.
Future Therapeutic Prospects
The study indicated that reintroducing a single type of beneficial bacteria to the gut is not necessarily sufficient to fully restore microbial balance. The continued presence of these bacteria and the performance of their vital functions require a suitable environment and supportive interactions with other types of microbes. Researchers noted that these findings could help understand the relationship between gut microbes and other neurological diseases, such as stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, emphasizing the need for further studies on humans to assess the possibility of developing treatments targeting gut microbes to reduce complications and improve recovery chances.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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