How Gut Prevents Bacteria from Escaping into the Bloodstream

A small molecule called ‘PGE2’ activates specialized immune cells called as innate lymphoid cells to maintain a barrier between the gut and the body.

The mechanism of the immune system to stop gut bacteria from leaking into the bloodstream has been discovered by a team of British researchers. This discovery may help in treatment and prevention of life-threatening infections.

If the //bacteria escape from the gut into the bloodstream, they can cause infections elsewhere in the body that become deadly if left untreated.

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‘An immune system failure triggers the bacteria to escape from the gut and causes a massive inflammatory response, which can lead to multiple organ failures.’

"Gut barrier injury can lead to the often deadly disease known as sepsis, which is one of the biggest killers of critically-ill patients,” said Chengcan Yao from the University Of Edinburgh.

"Our study reveals a new approach that could be exploited as a treatment to help prevent one of the common causes of sepsis," Yao added.

The study, published in the journal Science, also helps explain why we do not suffer more infections, despite the vast number of bacteria that are found naturally in our gut.

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Their escape is triggered by an immune system failure that causes a massive inflammatory response. This damages healthy tissues and can lead to multiple organ failures.

They found that a small molecule called "PGE2" plays a crucial role by activating specialized immune cells called innate lymphoid cells. These cells help to maintain the barrier between the gut and the rest of the body.

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Abundant microbe populations have been thought to have roles in obesity, diabetes and inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's disease.

If "PGE2" is blocked or doesn't function correctly, these cells are not activated and the gut barrier breaks down allowing bacteria to escape.

The findings could lead to new approaches for preventing whole-body infections which can be life-threatening if they are not caught early.

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"Sepsis is often difficult to diagnose and treat, therefore, a better understanding of the immune mechanisms involved will help us to devise strategies to improve patient prognosis," added study co-author Rodger Duffin.

Source-IANS