Title:Role of Gut Microbiota in Multiple Sclerosis and Potential Therapeutic
Implications
Volume: 20
Issue: 7
Author(s): Xu Wang, Zhen Liang, Shengnan Wang, Di Ma, Mingqin Zhu*Jiachun Feng*
Affiliation:
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Xinmin Street 71# Changchun, CN 130021, China
- Department of Neurology, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Xinmin Street 71# Changchun, CN 130021, China
Keywords:
Gut microbiota, multiple sclerosis, neuro-inflammatory diseases, gut-microbiota-brain axis, blood-brain barrier, fecal microbiota transplantation, antibiotic treatment, probiotic microbiota.
Abstract: The role of gut microbiota in health and diseases has been receiving increased attention
recently. Emerging evidence from previous studies on gut-microbiota-brain axis highlighted the importance
of gut microbiota in neurological disorders. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, inflammatory,
demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS) resulting from T-cell-driven,
myelin-directed autoimmunity. The dysbiosis of gut microbiota in MS patients has been reported in
published research studies, indicating that gut microbiota plays an important role in the pathogenesis
of MS. Gut microbiota have also been reported to influence the initiation of disease and severity of
experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which is the animal model of MS. However, the underlying
mechanisms of gut microbiota involvement in the pathogenesis of MS remain unclear.
Therefore, in this review, we summerized the potential mechanisms for gut microbiota involvement
in the pathogenesis of MS, including increasing the permeability of the intestinal barrier, initiating
an autoimmune response, disrupting the blood-brain barrier integrity, and contributing to chronic
inflammation. The possibility for gut microbiota as a target for MS therapy has also been discussed.
This review provides new insight into understanding the role of gut microbiota in neurological and
inflammatory diseases.
