SCI transal Med: intestinal flora may change the aging process of the body

December 4, 2019 / BIOON / -- recently, an international journal Science Translational Medicine In the report above, scientists from institutions such as Nanyang University of technology found that microbes living in the gut can change the aging process of the body, which may help researchers develop new food based therapies to slow down the aging process of the body In the past 20 years, researchers have conducted a large number of studies and found that microorganisms in the body play a very important role in nutrition, physiological characteristics, metabolism and behavior Photo source: P Kundu et al, Science Translational Medicine (2019)
In this study, the researchers transplanted the intestinal microflora of old mice (24 months old) into young, sterile mice (6 weeks old) Eight weeks later, the researchers found that the growth of intestinal tract in young mice increased, and neurons (neurogenesis) were also produced in brain; the researchers believed that the increase of neurogenesis may be due to the enrichment of special intestinal microflora These microorganisms can produce special butyric acid Butyric acid is produced by microbial fermentation of dietary fiber in the lower digestive tract It can stimulate the production of longevity promoting hormone named FGF21 FGF21 plays a key role in regulating energy and metabolism of the body With the increase of age, the production of butyric acid will decrease After that, the researchers found that butyric acid can produce the same neurogenic effect as that of adult mice when given to sterile mice alone Professor Pettersson said, we found that microorganisms collected from old mice have the ability to support their neurogenesis in young mice This is a very interesting observational study, especially we can simulate the effect of nerve stimulation by using butyric acid alone The results may help to clarify whether butyric acid can support tissue repair and reconstruction in patients with certain diseases, such as stroke, spinal cord injury, etc., and can slow down the aging and cognitive decline of the body In addition, the researchers further analyzed the effect of intestinal microorganisms transplanted from the old mice to the young mice on the digestive system function of the young mice; with the growth of age, the activity of intestinal cells will decline, which is directly related to the decline of intestinal mucus production, which will make intestinal cells more sensitive to damage and cell death However, the addition of butyric acid may help regulate the function of intestinal barrier and reduce the risk of inflammation The researchers found that mice receiving microorganisms from adult donor mice increased the length and width of their small intestinal villi, and that the small intestine and colon in the elderly / adult mice tended to be longer than those in the young sterile mice Relevant research results show that intestinal microorganisms can compensate and support aging through active stimulation Pettersson, a researcher, said that we can imagine the future research, that is, to test the ability of butyric acid containing foods to support healthy aging and adult neurogenesis; the results of this paper may help to answer many related questions about aging biology and microbiome, such as whether there is active acquisition of butyric acid producing microorganisms in mice, whether there is extreme aging It will lead to the loss of this basic microbial community, and whether this loss will lead to biological disorders and age-related dysfunction The researchers pointed out that this study may help us to understand the mysterious relationship between the microbiome and the host in the process of aging, and provide new ideas and hopes for the development of microbiome related interventions to promote healthy aging of the body This study is based on the early results of the researchers Previously, the researchers clarified how the transplantation of intestinal microorganisms from healthy mice can help restore the muscle growth and function of sterile mice with muscle atrophy; later, the researchers will use the intestinal flora to develop effective anti-aging strategies or therapies through more in-depth research Original sources: Parag Kundu, hae ung Lee, Isabel Garcia Perez, et al Neurogenesis and longevity signaling in young germ free micro translated with the guide microbiology of old micro, Science Translational Medicine 13 Nov 2019: Vol 11, issue 518, eaau4760 doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aau4760