In a new study, researchers found that changing the gut microbiome to a healthier state could reduce cholesterol levels and strongly inhibits the thickened-artery condition known as atherosclerosis.
The research was conducted by scientists at Scripps Research.
In the past two decades, gut bacteria have become a focus of intense study around the world, as scientists have discovered that the microbes—in part by their production of molecules called metabolites—not only help digest food but play a role in metabolism, immunity and other important functions.
When people overuse antibiotics or consume “Western” diets rich in carbs, fats, and sugar, the gut microbiome can be altered in ways that promote disease.
Indeed, it now appears that the increased risks of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and atherosclerosis that are conferred by the Western diet are due in part to adverse changes in the microbiome.
Atherosclerosis is the condition that leads to heart attacks and strokes, the two leading causes of death among humans.
In the study, the scientists created a set of molecules called peptides that can slow the growth of less-desirable species of gut bacteria.
In mice that develop high cholesterol and atherosclerosis from a high-fat diet, the peptides beneficially shifted the balance of species in the gut microbiome, which refers to the trillions of bacteria that live inside the digestive system.
This shift reduced cholesterol levels and dramatically slowed the buildup of fatty deposits in arteries—symptoms that are the hallmarks of atherosclerosis.
The team found striking reductions in the animals’ blood levels of cholesterol compared to untreated mice—about 36% after two weeks of treatment.
They also found that after 10 weeks, the atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries of the treated mice were about 40 percent reduced in area, compared to those in untreated mice.
Cheered by the proof-of-principle demonstration, the researchers are now testing their peptides in mice that model diabetes, another common condition that has been linked to an unhealthy microbiome.
One author of the study is Reza Ghadiri, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Scripps Research.
The study is published in Nature Biotechnology.
Copyright © 2020 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
