The microbiome influences ageing
With increasing age, the metabolic activity of intestinal bacteria changes – to the detriment of the host, as a research team supported by the Cluster of Excellence PMI and the CRC 1182 discovered
- Metabolic activity of the microbiome is significantly reduced in old age, as the analysis of animal data and computer models shows
- Bacteria produce fewer vital substances that the body needs. This can contribute to ageing
- The repeated and lifelong transfer of a “young” microbiome halts ageing processes in mice, according to another study from Kiel
The intestine is home to a complex ecosystem of microorganisms. This so-called gut microbiome plays an important role in health, disease and ageing. Various studies suggest that the microbiome “ages” and drives the host’s ageing processes. It was previously unclear which mechanisms the microbiome uses to control ageing in the host. This question was investigated by a research team led by Professor Christoph Kaleta, Faculty of Medicine at Kiel University (CAU) and Cluster of Excellence “Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation” (PMI), and Dr. Christiane Frahm from Jena University Hospital (UKJ). While Kiel contributed its expertise in metabolic modeling, Jena provided central experimental data for the analyses. This work was carried out as part of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Network SmartAge (ITN) coordinated by Jena under Horizon 2020.
In the study, the researchers were able to show that there is a strong reduction in the metabolic activity of the microbiome during ageing. “These changes are directly reflected in the metabolic processes of the host,” emphasizes Kaleta, who heads the Medical Systems Biology working group and is also involved in the Collaborative Research Centre (CRC 1182) ‘Origin and Function of Metaorganisms’. The results were recently published in the journal Nature Microbiology. A central goal of further research is to find ways to reverse these age-related changes in the microbiome, for example through special food supplements. In another study published in the journal Microbiome, the Cluster of Excellence PMI succeeded in slowing down ageing processes in an animal model by means of a repeated microbial rejuvenation treatment.
Read the full press release here: www.precisionmedicine.de/en/details/news/das-mikrobiom-beeinflusst-das-altern
