Scientists from Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg and Ruhr University Bochum in Germany conducted a research which showed that intestinal flora, as well as the type of fatty acids in the daily diet, through the influence on the cells of the immune system have an impact on exacerbation of multiple sclerosis. The results of the study were published in “Immunity” magazine.
The exact cause of the development of autoimmune disease is not yet known. The scientists are increasingly interested in the relation between the diseases and intestines and bacterial colonies which are present in this part of the gastrointestinal tract. There intestinal flora plays a crucial role in the disease progression. The daily diet, which has significantly changed over the past few years, is another important prognostic factor.
The scientists performed the study on mice with encephalomyelitis which constituted animal model of multiple sclerosis. They compared the effects of adding long-chain fatty acids which are typical in the daily diet of the West, with long-chain fatty acids that are included in the fiber food and which are metabolized only by intestinal flora. The results showed that consumption of long-chain fatty acids caused proliferation of the proinflammatory cells in brain. This caused a serious deterioration of the mice’s health condition. However, consumption of fiber food led to the reduction of the symptoms of the disease. It was caused by the release of the regulatory T cells from the intestine walls. The regulatory T cells are responsible for the suppression of inflammatory reaction as well as autoreactive immune T cells.
Nonetheless, the same research conducted on mice without intestinal flora did not show the same dependency. It showed that intestinal bacterium, and their metabolism, is directly involved in the process.
The researchers conclude that the results of their research may lead to a new treatment of autoimmune diseases such as MS. They believe that complementing traditional treatment with salt of propionic acid can optimize the MS therapy.
Written by: Klaudia Zyzak, Agata Zwierz, Katarzyna Gałaszkiewicz
Source:
1. Dietary fatty acids directly impact central nervous system autoimmunity via the small intestine, Aiden Haghikia et al., Immunity, doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2015.09.007, published online 20 October 2015.
2. Commensal microbe-derived butyrate induces the differentiation of colonic regulatory T cells; Yukihiro Furusawa, Yuuki Obata, Shinji Fukuda, et al.;Nature published online 11 November 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nature12721;
3. Polyunsaturated fatty acids for multiple sclerosis treatment: scientific evidence. Kong-González M1, Pérez-Cortéz JG2, Hernández-Girón C3, et al. 2015 Jan 7;15(1):e6062.
4. Dietary Fatty Acids Directly Impact Central Nervous System Autoimmunity via the Small Intestine. Haghikia A1, Jörg S2, Duscha A3et al. . Immunity. 2015 Oct 20;43(4):817-829. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2015.09.007
Would You like to know more? Watch on MEDtube.net: Introduction to Multiple Sclerosis
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