In a study from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, scientists found just how much promise some well-equipped gut-friendly bacteria hold for improving treatments of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
That technology encases beneficial bacteria within a very thin protective shell to help them survive an onslaught of stomach acids and competing microbes long enough to establish and multiply in the guts of mice.
While the technology makes orally administered probiotics more effective, IBD is a complex disease that usually involves more than gut microbial communities that are out of whack.
In the study, researchers devised specialized nanoparticles to neutralize molecules implicated in IBD. They’ve also figured out a way of attaching these nanoparticle “backpacks” to beneficial bacteria after encasing them in the protective coating.
Combined with the probiotics themselves, these nanoparticle backpacks could significantly improve—and simplify—IBD treatments.
While the root causes of IBD are complex and still being studied, one culprit involves the overproduction of molecules known as reactive oxygen species.
These molecules are crucial for certain human body functions, but too many of them in the gut can fuel damaging inflammation along the lining of the intestines.
Enter the nanoparticle backpacks. The tiny particles are part sulfide and part hyaluronic acid. The acid is powerfully anti-inflammatory, and the sulfide directly targets the reactive oxygen species.
The latest research shows that the probiotic bacteria Escherichia coli is much better at relieving IBD symptoms than their counterparts without the additional gear.
Like humans, mice with IBD commonly experience weight loss and colon shortening as the disease progresses.
The team found that mice that received the full treatment experienced the least amount of weight loss and much less colon shortening than their counterparts that received partial or no treatments.
Current treatment options depend on the stage and severity of the disease, whereas the researchers say they have sought a more holistic treatment that could be effective at any stage.
If you care about bowel health, please read studies that ultra-processed food could increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, and meds for common bowel disease may protect against severe COVID-19.
For more information about bowel health, please see recent studies about inflammatory bowel disease linked to more gum disease, and results showing scientists find a new treatment for inflammatory bowel disease.
The study was conducted by Quanyin Hu et al and published in the journal Science Advances.
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