ABSTRACT

Trillions of bacteria reside within our gastrointestinal tract, ideally forming a mutually beneficial relationship between us. However, persistent changes in diet and lifestyle in the western diet and lifestyle contribute to a damaging of the gut microbiota-host symbiosis leading to diseases such as obesity and irritable bowel syndrome. Many symptoms and comorbidities associated with these diseases stem from dysfunctional signaling in peripheral neurons. Our peripheral nervous system (PNS) is comprised of a variety of sensory, autonomic, and enteric neurons which coordinate key homeostatic functions such as gastrointestinal motility, digestion, immunity, feeding behavior, glucose and lipid homeostasis, and more. The composition and signaling of bacteria in our gut dramatically influences how our peripheral neurons regulate these functions, and we are just beginning to uncover the molecular mechanisms mediating this communication. In this review, we cover the general anatomy and function of the PNS, and then we discuss how the molecules secreted or stimulated by gut microbes signal through the PNS to alter host development and physiology. Finally, we discuss how leveraging the power of our gut microbes on peripheral nervous system signaling may offer effective therapies to counteract the rise in chronic diseases crippling the western world.

摘要

数以万亿计的细菌存在于我们的胃肠道内，理想情况下，我们之间形成了互惠互利的关系。然而，西方饮食和生活方式中饮食和生活方式的持续变化会破坏肠道微生物群与宿主的共生关系，从而导致肥胖和肠易激综合征等疾病。与这些疾病相关的许多症状和合并症源于外周神经元功能失调的信号传导。我们的外周神经系统 (PNS) 由多种感觉、自主神经和肠道神经元组成，它们协调关键的稳态功能，如胃肠动力、消化、免疫、摄食行为、葡萄糖和脂质稳态等。我们肠道中细菌的组成和信号传导极大地影响了我们的外周神经元如何调节这些功能，我们才刚刚开始揭示介导这种交流的分子机制。在这篇综述中，我们介绍了 PNS 的一般解剖结构和功能，然后讨论了肠道微生物分泌或刺激的分子如何通过 PNS 发出信号以改变宿主发育和生理。最后，我们讨论了如何利用我们的肠道微生物对周围神经系统信号传导的力量，可以提供有效的治疗方法，以抵消西方世界慢性病的增加。