Source: Thailand Medical News Jan 16, 2020 4 years, 10 months, 1 week, 2 minutes ago
A new research suggests that a common bacteria that boosts digestive health can slow and even reverse build-up of a protein associated with
Parkinson's Disease.
Based on previous research linking brain function to gut bacteria, this study in a
Parkinson's model of roundworms, identified a
probiotic or so-called good bacteria which prevents the formation of toxic clumps that starve the brain of dopamine, a key chemical that coordinates movement. These new findings could pave the way for future studies that gauge how supplements such as
probiotics impact the condition.
Bacillus Subtilis
In was observed that in the brains of people with
Parkinson's,
alpha-synuclein protein misfolds and builds up, forming toxic clumps. These clumps are associated with the death of nerve cells responsible for producing dopamine. The loss of these cells causes the motor symptoms associated with
Parkinson's, including freezing, tremors and slowness of movement.
The medical researchers from the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee used roundworms altered to produce the human version of
alpha-synuclein that forms clumps. They fed these worms with different types of over-the-counter
probiotics to see if bacteria in them could affect the formation of toxic clumps.
The research team found that a probiotic called
Bacillus subtilis had a remarkable protective effect against the build-up of this protein and also cleared some of the already formed protein clumps. This improved the movement symptoms in the roundworms. The researchers also found that the bacteria was able to prevent the formation of toxic
alpha-synuclein clumps by producing chemicals that change how enzymes in cells process specific fats called sphingolipids.
The research lead by Dr Goya ME, Dr Xue F, et al, published in the journal
Cell Reports, was funded by
Parkinson's UK, the EMBO and the European Commission. It is the latest in a number of recent studies which have found a link between brain function and the thousands of different kinds of bacteria living in the digestive system, known as the gut
microbiome. Other studies into mice have found that the gut
microbiome has an impact on the motor symptoms.
"The results provide an opportunity to investigate how changing the bacteria that make up our gut
microbiome affects
Parkinson's. The next steps are to confirm these results in mice, followed by fast-tracked clinical trials since the
probiotic we tested is already commercially available." commented lead researcher, Dr. Maria Doitsidou, from the Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences at the University of Edinburgh during a phone interview with
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t;strong>Thailand Medical News.
"
Parkinson's is the fastest growing neurological condition in the world. Currently there is no treatment that can slow, reverse or protect someone from its progression but by funding projects like this, we're bringing forward the day when there will be. Changes in the microorganisms in the gut are believed to play a role in the initiation of
Parkinson's in some cases and are linked to certain symptoms, that's why there is ongoing research into gut health and
probiotics.” added Dr Beckie Port, Research Manager at
Parkinson's UK.
Dr Beckie further added, "The results from this study are exciting as they show a link between bacteria in the gut and the protein at the heart of
Parkinson's,
alpha synuclein. Studies that identify bacteria that are beneficial in
Parkinson's have the potential to not only improve symptoms but could even protect people from developing the condition in the first place."
Reference : Probiotic Bacillus subtilis Protects against α-Synuclein Aggregation in C. elegans' Cell Reports (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.12.078
