French researchers have conducted a conclusive study on mice: a vaccine can modify the intestinal microbiota to protect it from IBD.
Stimulating the production of antibodies to protect the body against inflammatory bowel diseases: a research team led by Professor Benoît Chassaing has succeeded in developing a vaccine against IBD. The study was carried out at the Cochin Institute in partnership with German and American universities, and its results appeared in the magazine NatureCommunications.
@InstitutCochin A new approach to modulate the intestinal microbiota and vaccinate against chronic inflammatory diseases, a study by the team of @BenoitChassaing published in Nature Communications, https://t.co/FySof3pCQs pic.twitter.com/W0mOOLtYyC
— Cochin Institute (@CochinInstitut) December 12, 2019
Avoid the breakdown of intestinal mucus
The researchers started from an observation: people with IBD generally have an unbalanced intestinal flora. Some bacteria are too few in number and others are present in too large a quantity. At the same time, a protein is generally overexpressed: flagellin. The latter allows bacteria to pass through the layer of mucus, which protects the intestines from inflammation caused by bacteria. The body naturally produces antibodies against flagellin. For this research, researchers have sought to stimulate this production to reduce inflammation.
Vaccinated mice, more protected against inflammation
The scientists’ hypotheses were tested on mice. By introducing flagellin to rodents, they found that antibody production increases in the intestinal mucosa. Then the researchers tried to cause intestinal inflammation in mice, the stimulation of antibodies helped protect them. Compared to unvaccinated mice, this process reduced the amount of flagellin-expressing bacteria in the intestine and the microbiota, and removed them from the intestinal mucosa. The researchers also found that the vaccine protected rodents from obesity and diabetes.
A vaccine for humans?
“This vaccine strategy is possible in humans, since such microbiota abnormalities have been observed in patients with inflammatory and metabolic diseases, explains Benoît Chassaing. For this, we are currently working on a way to locally administer flagellin to the intestinal mucosa.” One of the avenues explored by researchers is the administration of ingestible capsules filled with flagellin. However, the team emphasizes the need for additional work to confirm with certainty the relevance of these results in humans.
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