Calvani Riccardo, Picca Anna, Lo Monaco Maria Rita, Landi Francesco, Bernabei Roberto, Marzetti Emanuele
Department of Geriatrics, Neurosciences and Orthopedics, Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Rome, Italy.
Front Med (Lausanne). 2018 Mar 2;5:53. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2018.00053. eCollection 2018.
In recent years, an extensive body of literature focused on the gut-brain axis and the possible role played by the gut microbiota in modulating brain morphology and function from birth to old age. Gut microbiota has been proposed as a relevant player during the early phases of neurodevelopment, with possible long-standing effects in later life. The reduction in gut microbiota diversity has also become one of the hallmarks of aging, and disturbances in its composition are associated with several (age-related) neurological conditions, including depression, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Several pathways have been evoked for gut microbiota-brain communication, including neural connections (vagus nerve), circulating mediators derived by host-bacteria cometabolism, as well as the influence exerted by gut microbiota on host gut function, metabolism, and immune system. Although the most provoking data emerged from animal studies and despite the huge debate around the possible epiphenomenal nature of those findings, the gut microbiota-brain axis still remains a fascinating target to be exploited to attenuate some of the most burdensome consequences of aging.
近年来,大量文献聚焦于肠-脑轴以及肠道微生物群在从出生到老年的整个过程中对大脑形态和功能的调节作用。肠道微生物群被认为是神经发育早期阶段的一个重要参与者,可能对晚年产生长期影响。肠道微生物群多样性的降低也已成为衰老的标志之一,其组成的紊乱与多种(与年龄相关的)神经疾病有关,包括抑郁症、阿尔茨海默病和帕金森病。肠道微生物群与大脑之间的交流涉及多种途径,包括神经连接(迷走神经)、宿主-细菌共代谢产生的循环介质,以及肠道微生物群对宿主肠道功能、代谢和免疫系统的影响。尽管最引人注目的数据来自动物研究,且围绕这些发现可能的附带现象性质存在巨大争议,但肠-脑轴仍然是一个极具吸引力的研究靶点,有望用于减轻衰老带来的一些最沉重的后果。