A study has highlighted the damaging impacts of inflammation on the health of our intestines.
The research, carried out by the Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Michigan, has noted the significant impact of gut inflammation on the long-term health of intestinal stem cells (ISCs).
They found that long-term inflammation in the digestive system can reduce the ability of ISCs to heal the intestine, which is a pronounced effect that’s also observed after the inflammation has receded.
The results were published in the journal Cell Stem Cell.
This could leave the digestive system vulnerable to future infections or inflammation.
The findings of this study put a spotlight on the need to mitigate inflammation in the gut when it occurs, as it can have a significant effect on overall health and wellbeing.
This leaves ample opportunity for nutraceutical developers to source and commercialise natural ingredients that can combat inflammation.
The first author of the paper, Dr. Dongchang Zhao, commented: “Using cellular and animal models, we found that exposure to inflammation drove ISCs to change their metabolism in ways that resulted in the accumulation of succinate, a product of cellular processes, which in turn reprogrammed the epigenome,”
The epigenome is a DNA chemical marking system that regulates the gene expression of a cell.
According to Zhao, the epigenome can be reprogrammed by consistent inflammation, which can result in ISCs being less capable of regeneration — which is a key process in the healing of the gut.
“We found that after the subsidence of inflammation, ISCs had not overcome their initial exposure. ISCs in this context retained a reduced regenerative capacity; this could lead to future challenges in the lives of those affected.”
Reference
1 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1934590924002923?via%3Dihub