Gut microbiota dysbiosis in male patients with chronic traumatic complete spinal cord injury
J Transl Med, 2018 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12967-018-1735-9 · Published: December 6, 2018
Simple Explanation
This study investigates the gut bacteria of men with spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries can cause bowel problems. This study looks at how the gut bacteria is different in men with spinal cord injuries compared to healthy men. The researchers collected stool samples from 43 men with spinal cord injuries and 23 healthy men. They analyzed the types of bacteria present in the samples. The study found that men with spinal cord injuries had less diversity in their gut bacteria. Certain types of bacteria were also more or less common in the spinal cord injury group.
Key Findings
- 1The diversity of the gut microbiota in the SCI group was reduced.
- 2The abundance of Veillonellaceae and Prevotellaceae increased, while Bacteroidaceae and Bacteroides decreased in the SCI group.
- 3Microbial community structure was significantly associated with serum biomarkers (GLU, HDL, CR, and CRP), NBD defecation time, and COURSE.
Research Summary
Practical Implications
Potential Therapeutic Target
The gut microbiota may be a potential target to help improve NBD symptoms.
Personalized Interventions
Understanding the specific gut microbiota changes associated with SCI could lead to personalized interventions to restore healthy gut bacterial composition.
Further Research
The study highlights the need for further research, including animal experiments and longitudinal human studies, to determine the cause-effect relationship between the gut microbiota and SCI.
Study Limitations
- 1The inclusion of only male patients with complete SCI excluded probable confounding effects of gender and residual nerves on gut functions; therefore, other incomplete injuries were not included in this study.
- 2Individual diet-associated flora differences could not be determined and remain a major weakness of this study.
- 3Future studies should include female patients to identify gender disparities.