Lee Yun-kyung (left), professor at Soonchunhyang University, and Kim Bong-su, professor at Ewha Womans University. [National Research Foundation of Korea]
Lee Yun-kyung (left), professor at Soonchunhyang University, and Kim Bong-su, professor at Ewha Womans University. [National Research Foundation of Korea]

Korean researchers have identified a gut microbe capable of suppressing neuroinflammation — a common feature of neurological conditions including multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and traumatic brain injury.

The National Research Foundation of Korea said Wednesday that a joint research team led by Lee Yun-kyung, a professor at Soonchunhyang University, and Kim Bong-su, a professor at Ewha Womans University, had identified in an animal model how a human-derived gut bacterium, Veillonella ratti MHL0042, restores a healthy gut microbiome. In doing so, the bacterium produces an anti-inflammatory metabolite called DOPE that suppresses inflammation in the brain.

The study, supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea through their biomedical technology development project, was published in the international biomedical journal Experimental & Molecular Medicine (EMM).

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack the brain and spinal cord, triggering inflammation and nerve damage.

Current treatments carry risks of side effects from reduced immune function as well as the possibility of relapse, underscoring the need for new therapeutic approaches.

Gut microbes have recently drawn attention as key regulators of the "gut-brain axis," the pathway linking the intestinal microbiome to the immune system and the brain.

The mechanisms by which interactions among gut microbes produce specific substances — and how those substances regulate neuroinflammation — had not been established.

A diagram illustrating how human-derived Veillonella ratti MHL0042 alleviates multiple sclerosis by reconstituting the gut microbiome and generating the DOPE metabolite. [Soonchunhyang University]
A diagram illustrating how human-derived Veillonella ratti MHL0042 alleviates multiple sclerosis by reconstituting the gut microbiome and generating the DOPE metabolite. [Soonchunhyang University]

The research team focused on the Veillonella genus of bacteria, which is known to be depleted in the guts of multiple sclerosis patients.

The team administered Veillonella ratti MHL0042, isolated from the human gut, to an animal model of multiple sclerosis and analyzed the strain's function and mechanism of action.

The analysis showed that the strain promoted interactions with other gut microbes, reconstituting the intestinal ecosystem in a healthier direction.

In the process, production of the anti-inflammatory metabolite DOPE increased significantly, and the researchers confirmed that the DOPE generated was transported through the bloodstream to the brain.

DOPE particularly reduced inflammation in the brain and spinal cord. A separate experiment in which DOPE was administered on its own also confirmed an improvement in multiple sclerosis symptoms.

The research team said the study identified the mechanisms of action of gut microbes and microbially derived metabolites in an animal model, and that the same effects and safety have not been confirmed in humans.

"The most distinctive aspect of this research is that we did not stop at confirming the efficacy of a specific gut microbe — we identified at the molecular level how changes across the entire gut ecosystem and interactions among microbes lead to the regulation of neuroinflammation," Lee said. "Because the composition of gut microbes differs from person to person, follow-up research is needed to determine which patients would benefit most, and to establish the production, safety and administration methods for the strain and its metabolites."


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com