New Evidence from Microbiome: Does Fecal Transplantation Really Reverse the Characteristics of Aging?

However, scientists from the Quadram Institute and the University of East Anglia have provided evidence, through studies in mice, that transplanting the fecal microbiota of young mice into older mice can reverse the ageing characteristics of the gut, eyes and brain

In opposite experiments, microbes from aged mice triggered inflammation in the brains of young mice, depleting a key protein required for normal vision

These findings suggest that gut microbes play a role in regulating some of the deleterious effects of aging and open up the possibility of gut microbe-based therapeutics to combat aging in later life

Professor Simon Cardin, of the University of East Anglia Norwich Medical School, who leads the Gut Microbiome and Health Research Programme at the Quadram Institute, said: "This groundbreaking study provides insights into the direct involvement of gut microbes in ageing, brain function and Vision loss provides tantalizing evidence and a potential solution in the form of gut microbiome replacement therapy

We've known for some time that the population of microbes we carry in our guts, collectively known as the gut microbiome, is associated with health

Some of these changes in microbial composition occur as we age, adversely affecting metabolism and immunity, which are associated with age-related diseases including inflammatory bowel disease, as well as cardiovascular, autoimmune, metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases

To better understand the impact of these changes on the gut microbiota of older mice, scientists at the Quadram Institute transferred gut microbes from older mice to healthy young mice, and vice versa

The study, published in the journal Microbiome, found that microbiota from older donors can lead to a loss of integrity of the gut lining, allowing bacterial products to enter the circulation, triggering the immune system and inflammation in the brain and eyes

Age-related chronic inflammation, known as inflammation, is associated with the activation of specific immune cells found in the brain

The team also found elevated levels of specific proteins associated with retinal degeneration in the eyes of young mice that received the microbiomes of older donors

In older mice, these detrimental changes in the gut, eyes and brain could be reversed by transplanting gut microbiota from young mice

In ongoing research, the team is now working to understand how long these positive effects can last, and to identify the beneficial components of the young donor's microbiome and how they affect organs farther away from the gut

The microbiota of young mice and older mice that received young mouse microbes were enriched with beneficial bacteria previously linked to mouse and human health

The researchers also analyzed the products these bacteria produce by breaking down elements in our diet

A similar pathway exists in humans, whose gut microbiota also changes significantly in later life, but the researchers caution against pushing their results directly to humans until similar studies are conducted in older adults

A new microbiota replacement therapy (MRT) facility, also known as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), is being established at the Quadram Institute and will facilitate trials of this type, as well as other microbiota-related conditions

The study's lead author, Dr Aimee Parker, from the Quadram Institute, said: "We are excited to discover that by altering the gut microbiota in older adults we can rescue age-related degenerative diseases of the eye and brain recession indicator
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"Our findings provide more evidence of an important link between gut microbes and healthy aging of tissues and organs around the body
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We hope our findings will ultimately contribute to understanding how we control our diet and gut bacteria , to maximize health for the rest of life
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Journal Reference :

1. Aimée Parker, Stefano Romano, Rebecca Ansorge, Asmaa Aboelnour, Gwenaelle Le Gall, George M.
   Savva, Matthew G.
   Pontifex, Andrea Telatin, David Baker, Emily Jones, David Vauzour, Steven Rudder, L.
   Ashley Blackshaw, Glen Jeffery , Simon R.
   Carding.
   Fecal microbiota transfer between young and aged mice reverses hallmarks of the aging gut, eye, and brain .
   Microbiome , 2022; 10 (1) DOI: 10.
   1186/s40168-022-01243-w