“Carbon beads”, designed to restore the health of the intestinal microbiome, could effectively treat liver diseases, among others.
- Invented by researchers at University College London (UCL), carbon microbeads have proven effective in rodents in rebalancing the intestinal microbiome and the progression of liver diseases such as cirrhosis.
- However, the “carbon beads” designed by the researchers act by absorbing endotoxins and other molecules produced by bad bacteria in the intestine, creating a favorable environment for good bacteria to flourish. This prevents toxins from spreading, to the liver for example.
- Tested on mice and rats, ingested every day for several weeks, the microbeads were effective in preventing the progression of scars and liver damage in rodents suffering from cirrhosis. They were also found to be safe in the 28 humans with cirrhosis who tested them.
Of the “beads” to ingest, “smaller than a grain of salt”. Invented by researchers at University College London (UCL), carbon beads have been shown to be effective in rodents in rebalancing the gut microbiome, reducing inflammation and slowing the progression of liver disease. The results were published in the journal Gut.
Beads that restore microbiome health and protect the liver
“When the balance of the microbiome is disrupted, ‘bad’ bacteria can proliferate and outcompete the ‘good’ bacteria that keep the gut healthy, recalls Professor Rajiv Jalan, lead author of the study, in a communicated. They do this in particular by excreting endotoxins, toxic metabolites and cytokines which transform the intestinal environment to make it more favorable to them and hostile to good bacteria. These substances, especially endotoxin, can trigger inflammation and increase intestinal permeability, which damages other organs such as the liver, kidneys and brain.”
However, the tiny “carbon beads” designed by researchers, equipped with a “special microscopic physical structure”, act by absorbing endotoxins and other molecules produced by bad bacteria in the intestine, in other words by creating an environment favorable for good bacteria to flourish. What “restores microbiome health and prevents toxins from spreading and causing damage to other areas, as they do with cirrhosis.”
Less liver damage in rodents with cirrhosis
Tested on mice and rats, ingested every day for several weeks, the beads were effective in preventing the progression of scarring and liver damage in rodents suffering from cirrhosis, and reducing mortality in those suffering from a form acute liver failure (ACLF). They also turned out to be “safe” on the 28 humans with cirrhosis who tested them – only in order to note possible side effects.
If their effectiveness in humans is demonstrated by new clinical trials, “one of which is due to start soon”carbon beads could well become “an invaluable tool”according to researchers, to treat not only liver disease, but also perhaps “conditions associated with poor microbiome health, such as irritable bowel syndrome.”