Abstract
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a systemic disorder that involves dysfunction of multiple organs. Growing evidence has shown that neurodegenerative disorders with gut dysbiosis affect the central nervous system via pro‐inflammatory mediators thus impacting gut‐brain communications. We have demonstrated dysbiosis and increased intestinal permeability in the SOD1G93A ALS mouse model. In this study, we comprehensively examined the human gut microbiome in stool samples and evaluated infection and markers of intestinal inflammation in five patients with ALS and motor neuron disorders. Five patients we studied all had alteration in their gut microbiome characterized by a low diversity of the microbiome, compared to healthy cohorts with relatively intact abundance. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are the two major members of bacteria at the phylum level. Low Ruminococcus spp. occurred in three patients with low Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio. A majority of patients had signs of intestinal inflammation. This is the first comprehensive examination of inflammatory markers in the stool of ALS patients. Studies in gut health and microbiome related to the onset and progression of ALS may reveal novel therapeutic targets for disease modulation.
Highlights
The human gut microbiome has been referred to as a “mega organ” harboring 1014 microbes and 4 x 106 genes, outnumbering human genes by 150:1 (Bhattacharjee and Lukiw 2013; Collins 2014)
Little is known about the intestinal microbiome in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other motor neuron disorders (MND)
We have shown that using the bacterial product butyrate, a short chain fatty acid (SCFA), improves gut integrity and microbial homeostasis and prolongs lifespan of SOD1G93A mice (Zhang et al 2017)
Summary
The human gut microbiome has been referred to as a “mega organ” harboring 1014 microbes and 4 x 106 genes, outnumbering human genes by 150:1 (Bhattacharjee and Lukiw 2013; Collins 2014). We comprehensively examined the gut microbiome and evaluated markers of intestinal inflammation in five patients with MND. Human stool samples for microbiome test were collected at home using the kit provided by the Genova Diagnostics.
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