Tambo Amos, Roshan Mohsin H K, Pace Nikolai P
Centre for Molecular Medicine and Biobanking, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
Int J Chronic Dis. 2016;2016:7030795. doi: 10.1155/2016/7030795. Epub 2016 Nov 24.
The global obesity epidemic, dubbed "globesity" by the World Health Organisation, is a pressing public health issue. The aetiology of obesity is multifactorial incorporating both genetic and environmental factors. Recently, epidemiological studies have observed an association between microbes and obesity. Obesity-promoting microbiome and resultant gut barrier disintegration have been implicated as key factors facilitating metabolic endotoxaemia. This is an influx of bacterial endotoxins into the systemic circulation, believed to underpin obesity pathogenesis. Adipocyte dysfunction and subsequent adipokine secretion characterised by low grade inflammation, were conventionally attributed to persistent hyperlipidaemia. They were thought of as pivotal in perpetuating obesity. It is now debated whether infection and endotoxaemia are also implicated in initiating and perpetuating low grade inflammation. The fact that obesity has a prevalence of over 600 million and serves as a risk factor for chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus is testament to the importance of exploring the role of microbes in obesity pathobiology. It is on this basis that Massachusetts General Hospital is sponsoring the Faecal Microbiota Transplant for Obesity and Metabolism clinical trial, to study the impact of microbiome composition on weight. The association of microbes with obesity, namely, adenovirus infection and metabolic endotoxaemia, is reviewed.
全球肥胖流行被世界卫生组织称为“全球肥胖症”，是一个紧迫的公共卫生问题。肥胖的病因是多因素的，包括遗传和环境因素。最近，流行病学研究观察到微生物与肥胖之间存在关联。促进肥胖的微生物群以及由此导致的肠道屏障破坏被认为是促进代谢性内毒素血症的关键因素。这是细菌内毒素流入体循环，被认为是肥胖发病机制的基础。脂肪细胞功能障碍以及随后以低度炎症为特征的脂肪因子分泌，传统上归因于持续的高脂血症。它们被认为在肥胖的持续发展中起关键作用。现在人们争论感染和内毒素血症是否也与低度炎症的发生和持续有关。肥胖症患病率超过6亿，并且是包括心血管疾病和2型糖尿病在内的慢性疾病的危险因素，这一事实证明了探索微生物在肥胖病理生物学中的作用的重要性。在此基础上，麻省总医院正在赞助肥胖与代谢粪便微生物群移植临床试验，以研究微生物群组成对体重的影响。本文综述了微生物与肥胖的关联，即腺病毒感染和代谢性内毒素血症。
