BTN News: Gut bacteria have been implicated in a range of human health problems, despite a great deal of progress in understanding how bacteria affect health, the effects of bacteria in living organisms have not yet been fully uncovered, new research from Nagoya University, Japan has found a significant link between gut bacteria and Parkinson’s disease, or PD. The study provides new insights into how microbiota may contribute to disease progression and presents potential targets for therapy.
Parkinson’s disease (1–2% of the population over 55, with tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural instability) Hiroshi Nishiwaki and Jun Ueyama took advantage of next-generation sequencing methods to conduct a cross-country study on the gut flora of PD patients, using their stool samples for analysis. Looking closer, the researchers discovered that the gut bacteria of the Stoolers had a significant deficit of genes to make a couple of important B vitamins — B2 (riboflavin) and B7 (biotin).
While these vitamins are vital for the well-being of the body, they are also essential to keep the intestinal barrier intact. Several studies have indicated that low-miller portals and biotin in PD patients would have a hyper-permeable intestine which in turn would facilitate the passage of toxins intended for humans have a blood stream. When activated, however, many of these microglia may become inflamed and spew out a load of nasty toxic stuff onto the brain, worsening PD symptoms.
Also, the research suggests a potential anti-inflammatory role of B vitamins. The anti-inflammatory properties of riboflavin and biotin might also help to reduce neuroinflammation found in the brain of patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Importantly, the study also revealed deficiencies of short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and polyamines in PD patients beyond vitamins. Importantly, these compounds, generated by the gut bacteria themselves can help maintain an effecient intestinal barrier. These data suggest reduced SCFAs and polyamines production together with increased intestinal permeability, which may allow in a long-term context for toxic compounds path to the brain.
The new findings suggest that this might have to do with use of different antigens in different individuals; and Nishiwaki says this, if true, has important implications for alternative, personalized-medicine-type vaccines. The results suggest that looking at both bacteria and metabolites in the feces offers a way to see the kinds of deficiencies early on. We speculate that riboflavin and biotin may provide therapeutic gains in PD symptoms and disease progression by reducing the compromise to MAM and AAM signatures secondary to the RUT changes that accompany PD, and thus, reestablishing SCFAs and polyamines.
These findings show not only the complex nature of the gut microbiome and metabolic end products, but also its contribution to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. In the future, treatments could be tailored to be delivered according to an individual’s microbiome profile, providing new hope in the battle against PD.
