Medical researchers at Southwestern Medical Center, Utah, performed precision editing on the bacterial colonies found in the gastrointestinal tract. This reduced the inflammation’s severity and colitis caused in experimental mice.
The primary strategy was to target cellular pathways associated with metabolic activities, which are associated with gastrointestinal inflammation. The main object was to prevent or reduce the inflammation caused in mice with colitis. At the same time, the control animals showed no signs of inflammation; the bacterial colonies in the gut were balanced and healthy.
This path-breaking discovery was published in latest issue of Nature magazine. A framework was developed from our results, and the bacterial species that line the gastrointestinal tract were precisely altered to reduce the inflammation caused by colitis and other forms of inflammatory bowel disease [IBD].
In this experimental study, we used a heavy metal called tungsten, which is dangerous when ingested in high doses. It should be noted that no heavy metal is safe for consumption. Our primary goal was to develop a novel therapy that induces a similar effect but within the acceptable limits of safety.
There is a diverse population of microbes, which form a thin line on the gastrointestinal tract. These microbes are essential for the maintenance of good health. They help in digestion, improve the immune system, and effectively combat all kinds of infections.
When there is an imbalance in microbial populations, these beneficial bacteria become a nuisance as they develop invasive qualities and drive out species that compete with them for space. It is difficult to understand the biology of gut microbiota because they are highly diverse in nature.
In humans, several bacterial species are found in the gastrointestinal tract. The composition of species differs extensively for individuals. The composition of gut microbiota changes considerably, causing many chronically progressive diseases, such IBD, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease.
According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 1 million adults are affected by IBD in the United States of America . Currently, there is no cure for such diseases. The gut microbiota also undergoes changes in patients with Type 2 diabetes, HIV-related intestinal disease, colon cancer, and necrotizing enterocolitis. These diseases are also observed in certain premature infants.
The bacteria found in the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract belonged to enterobacteriaceae family, causing many inflammatory diseases. In healthy gut, a small number of healthy bacteria are present. They belong to E.coli (Escherichia coli). These bacteria also protect pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella, which is responsible for food poisoning in humans. In mouse afflicted with colitis, there is an uncontrolled growth of enterobacteriaceae species.
In a paper published by Cell Host & Microbe, it was reported that cellular energy was produced by Enterobacteriaceae family. Gut bacteria uses this energy for improving growth and obtaining nutrients. Unique metabolic pathways were used to improve the growth and drive out beneficial bacteria at the time of illness.
These unique pathways are used to improve inflammation in gut. In current study, tungsten was used to inhibit the pathways obstructing metabolism. An inflammation develops due to incessant growth of pathogenic bacteria.
These researchers have reported that bacteria absorbed tungsten, and they developed an important cofactor of bacteria. Due to the inflammation, enterobacteriaceae lost its capacity to generate energy.
A soluble salt of tungsten was orally administered to patients. The useful bacteria were not affected in this innovative experiment. This is because a particular the cofactor could not govern the metabolism of beneficial bacteria.
The proliferation of enterobacteriaceae was stopped in our current experiment. When enterobacteriaceae species were present in correct ratios, colonization would be resisted by bacterial pathogens.
By controlling the proliferation of bacteria, inflammatory episodes were prevented completely. With miniscule experimental evidence, it can be postulated that diseases of the gut worsen due to changes in the composition of microbiota.
In this study, it was found that the inflammation of the gut was reduced and a normal state was achieved by using tungsten treatment. In most experiments, tungsten was used to rectify a molecular target. This treatment was therapeutic for patients. At the same time, tungsten is the heavy metal that provokes neurological and reproductive diseases.
Conventional approaches are focused on treating bacterial pathogens. However, this path-breaking research is quite useful to harness bacteria in the normal gut. The composition and the function of gut microbiota was controlled.
Most doctors prescribe broad spectrum antibiotics. The final objective is to tarnish numerous bacteria in the gut. Whenever a patient visits the clinic in a critical state, most doctors prescribe antibiotics and do not conduct tests to identify the specific pathogens in the human body. In such a scenario, the prescribed antibiotics have broad-spectrum activity, killing most pathogens and beneficial bacteria.
Only one family of bacteria, enterobacteriaceae, was targeted in our study. Although results are promising, more studies must be conducted to identify potential therapies that cause human diseases.