What is it about?
Gut bacteria live in our large intestine, and get their nutrients from the food we don't or can't digest. In the same way we produce waste (mostly gas and faeces) from the food we put into our bodies, bacteria produce waste from what they live on. This waste comprises chemicals (metabolites) that are taken up from the large intestine by the liver, and transported round the body in our blood, where they potentially come into contact with organs such as the brain. We have found that one of these metabolites – propionate (produced by gut bacteria from foods such as porridge and mushrooms) – interacts with the blood–brain barrier, reducing the effects of inflammation and oxidative stress.
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Why is it important?
Direct interaction of a gut-derived bacterial metabolite with the blood–brain barrier represents a new mechanism by which gut bacteria influence the brain (the so-called 'gut–brain axis').
Perspectives
Simon McArthur (a neuroscientist) and I (a microbiologist and computer biologist) started this work when we were both lecturers at the University of Westminster. We realised our research interests overlapped and our skill sets would allow us to use a unique approach to understand how gut bacteria and their metabolites affect the human brain. Funding from Alzheimer's Research UK meant we were able to dedicate time and resources to further our work. This is our first (but by no means last) piece of work demonstrating bacterial metabolites influence the blood–brain barrier. We're delighted how well things have turned out, and look forward to continuing our work in this exciting area of research.
Professor Lesley Hoyles
Nottingham Trent University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Microbiome–host systems interactions: Protective effects of propionate upon the blood–brain barrier, July 2017, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press,
DOI: 10.1101/170548.
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