Farup Per G, Ueland Thor, Rudi Knut, Lydersen Stian, Hestad Knut
Department of Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, 2381 Brumunddal, Norway.
Unit for Applied Clinical Research, Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, 7491 Trondheim, Norway.
Gastroenterol Res Pract. 2017;2017:1642912. doi: 10.1155/2017/1642912. Epub 2017 Oct 23.
Subjects with depression and unexplained neurological symptoms have a high prevalence of gastrointestinal comorbidity probably related to the brain-gut communication. This study explored associations between functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) and inflammatory markers in subjects with these disorders.
The FGID, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), were classified according to the Rome III criteria, and degree of symptoms was assessed with IBS symptom severity score (IBS-SSS). A range of interleukins (IL), chemokines and growth factors, tryptophan, and kynurenine were analysed in serum and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were analysed in the faeces. The results are reported as partial correlation (pc) and values.
Sixty-six subjects were included. IBS was associated with high levels of tryptophan ( = 0.048) and kynurenine ( = 0.019) and low level of IL-10 ( = 0.047) in the CSF. IBS-SSS was associated with high tumor necrosis factor and low IL-10 in the CSF; pc = 0.341 and = 0.009 and pc = -0.299 and = 0.023, respectively. Propionic minus butyric acid in faeces was negatively associated with IL-10 in the CSF (pc = -0.416, = 0.005).
FGID were associated with a proinflammatory immune activation in the central nervous system and a disturbed tryptophan metabolism that could have been mediated by the faecal microbiota.
