Microbial Metabolites Impacting Inflammation

The NEW Microbial Molecule Linking Diabetes and Heart Disease What if one molecule, made by the bacteria in your gut, could quietly sabotage your blood sugar and clog your arteries? Meet “imidazole propionate” (ImP) a microbial molecule made by gut that is now metabolically linked to both diabetes and heart disease. In a paper published in Nature just four days ago, researchers found that ImP was associated with atherosclerosis in two independent human cohorts (PESA and IGT) and was shown to cause atherosclerosis in an animal model. In people, ImP levels directly correlated with the degree of atherosclerosis, as measured by vascular ultrasounds and coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores. How? ImP did not affect cholesterol levels. Instead, it caused an increase in the expression and activation of several inflammatory proteins and signaling pathways, including TNF-alpha cytokine signaling, NF-κB signaling, and expansion of pro-inflammatory Th17 immune cell populations. In short: ImP heightened the inflammatory, atherogenic environment. In today’s letter, we walk through these data, explain how ImP can cause insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes and answer the question: Can You Lower Your ImP Levels? Check out today’s newsletter for more: https://lnkd.in/eWdAsERC #hearthealth #cardiovasculardisease #diabetes #insulinresistance #metabolichealth #staycurious

Here's an interesting recently published study finding that transplanting aged gut microbiota into young mice triggered inflammation in both the gut and brain, leading to cognitive decline, depression, and anxiety. Reduced mucin levels and increased gut permeability were observed in mice receiving the aged microbiota. These changes were associated with reduced gut #butyrate levels, and a decreased abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria. Also, the expression of butyrate receptors, specifically free fatty acid receptors 2 and 3 (FFAR2/3) was found to be reduced in mice with aged microbiota. suppressed. Interestingly, it was found that treatment with butyrate (sodium butyrate via drinking water) reduced markers of #inflammation, restored mucin expression, and increased gut barrier function. It would be interesting to see if similar results could be obtained using different forms of butyrate such as butyrate glycerides administered via the diet or through the use of #prebiotics to stimulate microbial butyrate production. #butyrate #guthealth #aging #inflammation https://lnkd.in/g-Z-eE-Y

Fascinating new paper reveals a gut microbiome connection to heart disease. Microbes produce imidazole propionate (ImP), which directly triggers atherosclerosis through immune activation - even without high cholesterol. This microbial metabolite binds to specific receptors on immune cells, causing inflammation and plaque formation. The discovery opens new paths for early detection and targeted therapies based on our microbiome signatures. https://lnkd.in/gJCE4Enz

Researchers at the University of Toronto have found naturally occurring compounds in the gut that can be harnessed to reduce inflammation and other symptoms of digestive issues. This can be achieved by binding the compounds to an important, but poorly understood, nuclear receptor. The gut microbiome hosts bacteria that produce compounds as by-products of feeding on our digestive remnants. The compounds can bind to nuclear receptors, which help transcribe DNA to produce proteins and non-coding RNA segments. By identifying which microbial by-products can be leveraged to regulate receptors, researchers hope to tap into their potential to treat disease. "We conducted an unbiased screen of small molecules across the human gut microbiome," said Jiabao Liu, first author on the study and research associate at U of T's Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research. "We found that these molecules act similarly to artificial compounds that are currently being used to regulate the constitutive androstane receptor, otherwise known as CAR. This makes them viable candidates for drug development." The study was recently published in the journal Nature Communications. https://lnkd.in/gip7ArCv