THE GUT-BRAIN AXIS: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF INTESTINAL MICROBIOTA IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUNCTIONAL GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS LIKE IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME (IBS)
Main Article Content
Keywords
Gut Brain Axis (GBA), microbiota, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs)
Abstract
Background Gut-brain axis: One of the major bidirectional interaction between central and peripheral nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. More recent studies have highlighted the fact that alterations in the balance of the gut microbiota can affect this axis and predispose the individual to functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Objectives: To examine the effects of intestinal microbiota in moderating the influence of the gut-brain axis to the pathogenesis of IBS.
Study design: A cross-sectional study
Place and duration of study: Medicine Department of Ayub Teaching Hospital- Abbottabad, from Jan 2022 to Jan 2023.
Methods: Of the various patients involved in this study, 150 were diagnosed with IBS. Fecal samples were collected to evaluate the intestinal bacterial flora, and psychological tests were taken to know the level of stress and anxiety. The correlation that was performed for the microbial diversity and IBS symptoms involved the use of p-value as well as the standard deviation.
Results: Patient mean age was 38. 4 (SD = 10. 2) years. A massive decrease in microbiological heterogeneity was recorded in the IBS patients 60% (p=0. 004). Among the IBS patients, those who report more significant levels of anxiety and stress had a more profound dysbiosis and greater IBS symptom severity (p = 0. 002). Logically, and when comparing the two groups, direct statistics pointed at the fact that lower microbial richness was linked with greater symptom severity of IBS.
Conclusion: This paper looks at the evidence connecting alterations in the host’s gut microbial composition with the onset and persistence of IBS. IBS is related to the dysfunction of gut-brain axis, and the altered gut microbiota is considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of IBS, so the microbial intervention may be effective in the treatment of IBS.
References
2. Drossman, D. A. (2016). Functional gastrointestinal disorders: History, pathophysiology, clinical features, and Rome IV. Gastroenterology, 150(6), 1262-1279.
3. Foster, J. A., & Neufeld, K. A. M. (2013). Gut–brain axis: How the microbiome influences anxiety and depression. Trends in Neurosciences, 36(5), 305-312.
4. Jeffery, I. B., O'Toole, P. W., Öhman, L., Claesson, M. J., Deane, J., Quigley, E. M. M., & Simrén, M. (2012). An irritable bowel syndrome subtype defined by species-specific alterations in faecal microbiota. Gut, 61(7), 997-1006.
5. Mayer, E. A., Knight, R., Mazmanian, S. K., Cryan, J. F., & Tillisch, K. (2014). Gut microbes and the brain: Paradigm shift in neuroscience. The Journal of Neuroscience, 34(46), 15490-15496.
6. Yano, J. M., Yu, K., Donaldson, G. P., Shastri, G. G., Ann, P., Ma, L., ... & Hsiao, E. Y. (2015). Indigenous bacteria from the gut microbiota regulate host serotonin biosynthesis. Cell, 161(2), 264-276.
7. Smith, P. A. (2015). The tantalizing links between gut microbes and the brain. Nature, 526(7573), 312-314.
8. Moloney, R. D., Johnson, A. C., O'Mahony, S. M., Dinan, T. G., Greenwood-Van Meerveld, B., & Cryan, J. F. (2016). Stress and the microbiota–gut–brain axis in visceral pain: Relevance to irritable bowel syndrome. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 44(10), 1032-1052.
9. Black, C. J., & Ford, A. C. (2020). Global burden of irritable bowel syndrome: trends, predictions, and risk factors. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 17(8), 473-486.
10. Ford, A. C., Harris, L. A., Lacy, B. E., & Quigley, E. M. M. (2020). Systematic review with meta-analysis: the efficacy of prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics and antibiotics in irritable bowel syndrome. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 51(9), 876-893.
11. Rodiño-Janeiro, B. K., Vicario, M., Alonso-Cotoner, C., Pascua-García, R., & Santos, J. (2018). A review of microbiota and irritable bowel syndrome: Future in therapies. Advances in Therapy, 35(3), 289-310.
12. Sonnenburg, J. L., & Bäckhed, F. (2016). Diet–microbiota interactions as moderators of human metabolism. Nature, 535(7610), 56-64.
13. Jeffery, I. B., O'Toole, P. W., Öhman, L., Claesson, M. J., Deane, J., Quigley, E. M. M., & Simrén, M. (2012). An irritable bowel syndrome subtype defined by species-specific alterations in faecal microbiota. Gut, 61(7), 997-1006.
14. Ford, A. C., Talley, N. J., Schoenfeld, P. S., Quigley, E. M., & Moayyedi, P. (2009). Efficacy of antidepressants and psychological therapies in irritable bowel syndrome: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Gut, 58(3), 367-378
15. Tana, C., Umesaki, Y., Imaoka, A., Handa, T., Kanazawa, M., Fukudo, S., & Fujiyama, Y. (2010). Altered profiles of intestinal microbiota and organic acids may be the origin of symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome. Neurogastroenterology & Motility, 22(5), 512-e115.
16. Moloney, R. D., Johnson, A. C., O'Mahony, S. M., Dinan, T. G., Greenwood-Van Meerveld, B., & Cryan, J. F. (2016). Stress and the microbiota–gut–brain axis in visceral pain: Relevance to irritable bowel syndrome. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 44(10), 1032-1052.
17. Rodiño-Janeiro, B. K., Vicario, M., Alonso-Cotoner, C., Pascua-García, R., & Santos, J. (2018). A review of microbiota and irritable bowel syndrome: Future in therapies. Advances in Therapy, 35(3), 289-310.
Article Sidebar
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
All articles published in JPTCP are licensed under Copyright Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Nimra Tul Ain Khan
Department of Medicine, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad Pakistan
Saima Bahar
MBBS, FCPS Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, DHQ Hospital, Nowshera Pakistan
Muhammad Nauman Shah Afridi
Resident Surgeon, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad Pakistan
Syed Meesam Mehdi
MBBS, Medical Officer, Internal Medicine, DHQ Hospital, Attock Pakistan
Muhammad Danial Sohail
MBBS, Medical Officer, Internal Medicine- DHQ Hospital, Attock Pakistan
Sayyeda Aisha Bahar
Resident Physician, Internal Medicine, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad Pakistan