Scientists have only scratched the surface of the power of the gut microbiome. It has already been linked to memory, depression and mood, and changes in its bacterial composition provide clues to the development of prediabetes and multiple sclerosis.
Now researchers have discovered that intestinal immune cells are actually recruited by other parts of the body to venture beyond the gut and help repair damaged muscles and damaged liver tissue.
Furthermore, these new discoveries came about by accident when, during routine inventory, researchers at Harvard Medical School (HMS) discovered a specific class of T cells (Tregs) among muscle cells. rice field. Tregs are typically found in the colon to maintain gut health and are rarely found outside the small or large intestine.
Bola Hanna, co-author, Immunology Research Research Fellow at HMS, said: “This caught our attention because we know that these cells are produced in the gut and shaped by the microbiota.”
Using light-tagged colonic Tregs in mice, scientists were able to observe for the first time these cells exit the intestine, travel around the body, and enter the animal’s muscles. Through further research, they were able to determine that not only did Tregs help repair damaged muscle, but in the absence of Tregs, the recovered tissue showed more inflammation and scarring.
Further investigation showed that Tregs promote muscle healing by suppressing an inflammatory signal called IL-17 after inflammation has played its role at the site of injury.
“When your muscles are recovering, you want a certain amount of inflammation within a certain time frame,” Hannah said. We found that it was higher, lasted longer, and eventually repaired poorly.”
Further investigation showed that intestinal Tregs also patrolled the liver, kidney, and spleen, albeit to a lesser extent. The tissue scars less than it would without them, and scientists believe this has potential for treating conditions such as fatty liver disease.
“Our observations suggest that gut microbes are constantly emerging from the gut, sensing damage at distant sites in the body, and acting as sentinels to repair that damage by regulatory T cells. It shows that it promotes class production,” said Diane Mathis. She is a co-author and professor of immunology at the Blavatnik Institute at HMS.
These findings also support the importance of maintaining a healthy gut microbiota and raise questions about how antibiotics for treating musculoskeletal injuries affect the body’s natural healing processes. I am throwing
“It is well known that antibiotics can eradicate beneficial gut microbes as a collateral damage to their primary function of killing harmful bacteria. It further underscores the importance of judicious use of antibiotics, which is important for far more than many reasons.”
The study was published in a journal immunity.
Source: Harvard Medical School
