Age-Related Inflammation Linked to Gut Microbiome Changes
When researchers transplanted gut microbes from aged mice into young germ-free mice, the young mice experienced an increase in inflammation similar to the inflammatory processes associated with aging in humans. This study, published in Aging Cell, sheds light on how changes in the gut microbiome may contribute to age-related inflammation.
The researchers, led by Jacob Allen from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Thomas Buford from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, found that antibiotics caused longer-lasting disruptions in the gut microbiomes of aged mice compared to young mice. This suggests that aging may impact the resilience of the gut microbiome to antibiotic challenges.
Previous studies have linked age-related changes in the gut microbiome to chronic inflammatory diseases and other health conditions. The researchers focused on toll-like receptors, molecules that mediate inflammatory processes in the body. They found that microbes from aged mice were more likely to activate TLR4, which can sense bacterial cell wall components, leading to increased inflammatory signaling.
This study provides valuable insights into how age-related changes in the gut microbiome may influence inflammation and long-term health. Understanding these dynamics could have implications for the development of therapies targeting age-related inflammatory conditions.
Reference:
Caetano-Silva ME, Shrestha A, Duff AF, et al. Aging amplifies a gut microbiota immunogenic signature linked to heightened inflammation. Aging Cell. 2024:e14190. doi: 10.1111/acel.14190
This article has been republished from the original source.