Fecal transplantation has Appeared As Potential treatment for various conditionsincluding irritable bowel syndrome, diabetes, and even depression. Understandably, these so-called poop transplants have attracted a lot of attention, but new research has done some moist blankets on it.
The procedure involves taking microorganisms from the stool of healthy people, Transfer them to the patient’s colon. This should restore balance to its gut microbiome, but according to a study published on June 6 celltransplanted microorganisms can settle in the wrong parts of the digestive system. This may lead to persistence Unexpected health consequencesresearchers warned.
“I think it’s kind of like awakening the fields, maybe we shouldn’t be willing to put large intestinal microorganisms into different parts of the intestine that shouldn’t be there,” he said. explain Orlando “Landon” DeLeon, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Chicago, in a statement.
DeLeon led a team of researchers to conduct a series of experiments on mice to determine how fecal transplants affect different parts of the intestine. Mice were divided into three groups. One person received microorganisms from the jejunum (the middle part of the small intestine), the second received microorganisms from the cecum (connecting the small intestine to the small pouch of the colon), and the third received a standard fecal transplant from colon cancer.
Each part of the digestive system contains a unique adapted microbial population. The researchers wanted to see if mice would stick to their respective walls within the mice once. In fact, they found that each graft successfully colonized the intact gut, resulting in a regional intestinal “mismatism” that lasted for up to three months.
Microorganisms that settle in the gut parts they do not belong to trigger metabolic changes in these gut areas and have the potential to affect the health and behavior of the patient. The researchers observed changes in eating habits, activity and energy consumption in mice after transplantation. They also recorded changes in gene activity related to immune function, which in turn led to changes in liver metabolism. Most surprisingly, these foreign microorganisms altered gene and protein expression on the intestinal walls to make mismatched intestinal regions more suitable for their gene and protein expression.
“It’s like they’re engineering or building their own environment to help them adapt,” DeLeon said.
To determine whether these mismatches may occur in actual fecal transplant patients, he and his colleagues performed additional tests using human tissue samples. The results show that transplanted gut bacteria can settle into part of the human digestive system, and they do not naturally belong to them.
“If we are designing good therapies, we should realize the importance of matching regional flora with the appropriate environment so that we can provide better overall health benefits,” Deleon said. For example, the findings suggest that using microorganisms retrieved from all parts of the digestive system may be safer.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommend Fecal transplant Treatment of repeated infections Clostridium difficileor C. diff. This bacteria (which may cause severe gastrointestinal symptoms) are usually hospital patients treated with antibiotics. Fecal transplantation has Proven Very effective for treating these infections, and these results encourage researchers to investigate other applications of this procedure.
A new wave of research shows that fecal transplants can treat diseases beyond the intestine. Indeed, the study found that this process can benefit patients Neurodevelopment and Mental illness,,,,, Multiple sclerosistype 2 diabetes, etc.
Deleon’s findings suggest that doctors need to better understand the risks of fecal transplants before they can use them for other diseases other than C. diff. He plans to continue investigating how different microorganisms affect each part of the intestine and explore ways to restore areas of their original state to change.
This study shows that location is indeed important when it comes to gut microbes. Getting the right error in the right place can unlock the full potential of fecal transplants.
