In Canada, two teams of researchers are studying fecal transplantation in the treatment of depression. One university plans to perform it via colonoscopy while the second will use capsules containing feces to be administered orally to patients.
More than 300 million people suffer from depression worldwide, an increase of more than 18% from 2005 to 2015. In France, this disease is also progressing. Between 2010 and 2017, it would have increased by two points, particularly affecting women, those under 45 and the most precarious, according to a report published a year ago. Many researchers are therefore working to find the most effective remedy possible for this evil that is eating away at our societies. And according to Canadian researchers, the future of treatments would be found in faecal transplantation, a practice that consists of taking intestinal flora from a healthy donor to implant it in the patient. A first team from the University of Toronto plans to perform it by colonoscopy while the second, from the University of Calgary, will use capsules containing feces, reported the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) October 10.
“You have more serotonin receptors in your gastrointestinal system than in your brain,” says Valerie Taylor, professor and chair of the University of Calgary’s Department of Psychiatry at The Homestretch. So she wanted to examine the relationship between how one person’s good bacteria, added to another’s gastrointestinal system, can influence their mood. “Many of these bacteria directly produce many of the same chemicals, called neurotransmitters, that we try to influence with drugs like serotonin, dopamine and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA). These appear to be deficient in people suffering from depression, anxiety disorders and other mental illnesses,” she continued, as quoted by CBC.
To conduct their experiments, the two teams of researchers chose mice. By administering the dejecta of a depressed human to the animals, they noticed that the latter also began to develop depressive symptoms. They were able to make the same finding with anxiety and autism. “It’s starting to illustrate that there’s some causality. You can transfer some of these illnesses, so hopefully you can transfer wellness as well,” says Valerie Taylor.
Whatever the results, “it will be useful”
It is therefore now a question of verifying whether, conversely, depression and anxiety could be treated thanks to the faecal matter of an affected person. The two universities are beginning a new phase of their study of humans. In Calgary, “the stool is processed, packaged, put into capsules and ingested,” Taylor says. “You can order these pills on the internet but don’t,” she warns.
Whatever the results of the clinical trials, the use of the two transplantation techniques, by colonoscopy or capsules to be ingested, will advance research since no study has yet compared the effectiveness of these two routes of administration. “Either way, it’s going to come in handy,” Taylor enthuses.
“Whether the effect of faecal transplantation is conclusive or not, the conclusions of the work will be interesting. If we see that something is happening, we will know that it may be profitable to going to dig deeper into the role of the microbiota as a potential treatment for these diseases. If, on the contrary, we see no effect, or even a worsening, this will also be important insofar as we know that it is perhaps not the right track”, adds Harry Sokol, hepato-gastroenterologist at Saint-Antoine Hospital (AP-HP), on the sidelines of the study, at LCI.
The intestinal microbiota under the microscope of many researchers
This is not the first time that a link has been established between gut microbiota and mental health. In February, Belgian researchers analyzed the stools of 1,054 people and were able to identify specific groups of microorganisms that correlated positively or negatively with mental health. “The relationship between gut microbial metabolism and mental health is a controversial topic in microbiota research. The idea that microbial metabolites can interact with our brains – and therefore with our behavior and feelings – is intriguing, but communication between the brain and intestinal microorganisms has mostly been explored in animal models, with human research lagging behind,” their study explained.
In recent years, the microbiota has been of increasing interest to scientists and much research has been done on the subject. In particular, it has been shown that a altered microbiota was implicated in colon cancer. Scientists have also highlighted its role in muscle strength, influence on the flu vaccine, immunotherapy or obesity. “He probably involved in a lot of diseases, but his role obviously does not always have the same weight”, explains Harry Sokol “The less the microbiota weighs in a disease, the less chance there is that faecal transplantation will induce spectacular effects”, specifies the hepato-gastroenterologist.
Fecal transplantation increasingly practiced
As for fecal transplantation, Canadian researchers are not the only ones working on it. Recently, other scientists have shown its effectiveness in the treatment of infection with Clostridium difficile, an intestinal infection caused by a bacillus. “Our study shows that, on average, each of the patients avoids 17 days of hospitalization per year after faecal transplantation”, note the researchers. Beyond the days of hospitalization avoided, the method would also make it possible to make significant savings: medical bills increased on average from €56,400 to €32,800 for each patient.
The effectiveness of fecal transplants was also demonstrated in a study of 73 adults with mild to moderate ulcerative colitis. While some received a fecal microbiota transplant and others their own stool (placebo) via a colonoscopy, followed by two enemas, the researchers found that the transplant administered anaerobically (in an oxygen-free environment) could lead to a remission rate of 32%.
The intestinal microbiota is made up of a multitude of microorganisms located in the digestive tract. It has about 40,000 billion bacteria whose organization is very balanced and contributes to the proper functioning of the digestive system and the immune system. Too much medication, prolonged stress or poor diet can weaken this balance. We then become more vulnerable to bad bacteria.
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