April 25, 2024

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Nature Aging: Intestinal flora may restore youthful vitality to aging brains

Nature Aging: Intestinal flora may restore youthful vitality to aging brains



 

Nature Aging: Intestinal flora may restore youthful vitality to aging brains.

 

Humans, like other mammals, are occupied by trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. These microorganisms are collectively referred to as symbiotic flora.

In a sense, “human” is a diverse complex of humans and symbiotic flora.

 

Not only that, with the continuous advancement of microbial genomics research, humans have gained more and more knowledge of the microbiota that symbiosis with themselves.

A large number of intestinal microbiome studies have shown that the human symbiotic flora can affect our health, physique, personality and even life span to a certain extent!

 

August 2021, researchers APC microbiology research group Center for University College Cork in Nature sub-Journal Nature Aging delivered a research paper, entitled : Microbiota from young mice counteracts selective age-associated behavioral deficits.

 

This study shows that transplanting the intestinal flora of young mice to older mice can offset the cognitive changes related to aging in the brains of older mice to a certain extent.

These findings indicate that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) may have therapeutic potential for aging-related cognitive decline.

 

Nature Aging: Intestinal flora may restore youthful vitality to aging brains

 

Aging triggers metabolic and immune changes, leading to disturbances in brain function and behavior, including impairment of hippocampal-related cognitive behavior.

At the same time, the commensal bacteria living in and on the body will undergo a parallel community transformation with age, which is related to the weakness of the host and changes in cognitive abilities.

 

In other words, as we age, microorganisms that cause chronic inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, and diseases may gradually replace those “friendly” microorganisms that have a beneficial effect on the metabolism and immune system.

Intestinal microbes shape local immunity, but they may also affect the aging of the brain and increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

 

It is worth noting that some related studies have shown that the microbiota has a specific role in forming the signs of intestinal aging.

For example, transplanting the microbiota from juvenile African turquoise killifish to middle-aged fish successfully improved the latter’s lifespan and locomotion behavior.

However, it is unclear whether the microbiota from young donors can restore aging-related damage in mammals.

 

In this study, in order to determine whether fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in young mice can improve aging-induced neurocognitive and immune damage, the research team collected fecal microorganisms from young mice (3-4 months old) Group and transplant them into elderly mice (19-20 months old) , that is, the yFMT group.

Another group of old mice received the fecal microbiota of other old mice as a control group, the oFMT group.

 

Nature Aging: Intestinal flora may restore youthful vitality to aging brains

Research flow chart

 

The research team found that in young mice after transplant flora, old body associated with aging in mouse immune system changes reversed.

The brains of old mice in the yFMT group also regained their vitality and contained metabolites and gene regulation patterns similar to those of young mice .

 

Nature Aging: Intestinal flora may restore youthful vitality to aging brains

FMT changes the microbiota of old mice at the taxonomic and functional level

 

Specifically, the intestinal microbiota is “rejuvenated”, immunity is strengthened, hippocampal nerves are changed, and hippocampal metabolomics and transcriptome are reshaped .

In addition, in some cognitive tests on learning, memory and anxiety, fecal bacteria transplantation in young mice also improved the cognitive behavior of older mice .

 

This confirms that the microbiota from young individuals may have a beneficial effect on the elderly host and reverse its aging !

 

Nature Aging: Intestinal flora may restore youthful vitality to aging brains

FMT from young to old mice regulates peripheral immunity and hippocampal neuroimmunity

 

In this regard, the author said: ” These findings indicate that in order to promote healthy aging, the intestinal flora may have the potential as therapeutic targets .

Further research is needed in the future to explore how specific bacteria or their metabolites work.”

 

Transplanting the fecal microbiota of young mice to old mice can significantly affect their behavior

 

All in all, this study published in the journal Nature Aging shows that transplanting the microbiota from young donors into old mice reversed the differences in peripheral immunity, brain immunity, hippocampal metabolome and transcriptome in old mice.

In addition, the microbiome derived from young donors can also attenuate the selective impairment of age-related cognitive behavior, thus confirming that the microbiome may be a suitable therapeutic target for promoting healthy aging .

 

 

 

Reference:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-021-00093-9

Nature Aging: Intestinal flora may restore youthful vitality to aging brains

(source:internet, reference only)


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