The Role of Physical and Biological Gut Barriers in Modulating Crosstalk between the Microbiota and the Immune System

The Role of Physical and Biological Gut Barriers in Modulating Crosstalk between the Microbiota and the Immune System
Author: Marika Falcone
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2024-07-29
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 2832552382

The intestine has several means for maintaining immune homeostasis and for avoiding inflammation despite massive antigenic stimulation by food components and by commensal bacteria residing in the gut mucosa. These mechanisms include physical and biological barriers such as (i) the intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB); (ii) the gut vascular barrier (GVB) and (iii) the mucus layer. In particular, the mucus layer does not simply act as a diffusion barrier but has important dynamic functions that regulate the type of commensal bacteria residing in the inner mucus layer, enabling the passage of food and bacterial products into the gut tissue and systemic circulation. Importantly, the mucosal layer also has key immune regulatory functions. A healthy mucus structure is fundamental for promoting the presence of beneficial commensal bacteria, such as the short-chain fatty acids (SCFA)-producing bacteria which are known to promote immune tolerance. Moreover, the mucus layer contains anti-microbial peptides (AMPs) and mucins that have key immune modulatory functions. The integrated response of these combined defense systems is fundamental for containing microbes and their products within the intestine; for avoiding their systemic spread and for suppressing their capacity to activate systemic immune and autoimmune responses.

Physiological and Clinical Aspects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids

Physiological and Clinical Aspects of Short-Chain Fatty Acids
Author: John H. Cummings
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 602
Release: 2004-12-02
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780521616133

This is the first comprehensive volume to look at the importance of short-chain fatty acids in digestion, the function of the large intestine and their role in human health. Short-chain fatty acids are the major product of bacterial fermentation of dietary carbohydrates in the human and animal large intestine. They represent the major end products of digestive processes occurring in the caecum and large intestine. As such, they form an important dietary component and it is increasingly recognised that they may have a significant role in protecting against large bowel cancer and in metabolism. Prepared by an international team of contributors who are at the forefront of this area of research, this volume will be an essential source of reference for gastroenterologists, nutritionists and others active in this area.

Microbial Endocrinology

Microbial Endocrinology
Author: Mark Lyte
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2010-10-22
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9781441956026

Microbial endocrinology represents a newly emerging interdisciplinary field that is formed by the intersection of the fields of neurobiology and microbiology. This book will introduce a new perspective to the current understanding not only of the factors that mediate the ability of microbes to cause disease, but also to the mechanisms that maintain normal homeostasis. The discovery that microbes can directly respond to neuroendocrine hormones, as evidenced by increased growth and production of virulence-associated factors, provides for a new framework with which to investigate how microorganisms interface not only with vertebrates, but also with invertebrates and even plants. The reader will learn that the neuroendocrine hormones that one most commonly associates with mammals are actually found throughout the plant, insect and microbial communities to an extent that will undoubtedly surprise many, and most importantly, how interactions between microbes and neuroendocrine hormones can influence the pathophysiology of infectious disease.

Gut-brain Connection, Myth Or Reality?: Role Of The Microbiome In Health And Diseases

Gut-brain Connection, Myth Or Reality?: Role Of The Microbiome In Health And Diseases
Author: Adrien A Eshraghi
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2021-11-03
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9811221162

In this book the recent advancements in understanding the gut-brain interaction as well as gut microbiome and how this interaction plays a vital role in human health and disease are discussed. Each chapter gives an analysis of questions, research directions, and methods within the field of gut-brain axis. The readers will benefit from the latest knowledge about our understanding about how gut-brain axis and modulation of gut microbiome determines predisposition to neurological disorders. The multidisciplinary book is essential reading for anyone interested in the field of gut-brain axis and gut microbiome: from undergraduates to graduate students as well as scientists and physicians having an interest in the new exciting field of gut microbiome and its relationship with brain function.

Biological Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Biological Therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Author: Raquel Franco Leal
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
Total Pages: 142
Release: 2020-03-11
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1838802630

The treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has posed a major challenge since its appearance. Biomedical researchers, physicians, gastroenterologists, and surgeons have struggled to improve the quality of life of their patients and have sought, above all else, to keep the disease under remission for as long as possible. Blockers for tumoral necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were the first biological drugs to be discovered and for this reason they played a crucial role in the subsequent evolution of IBD treatment. The aim of this book is to provide an overview of such drugs and the latest developments in IBD immunopathology. Our contributors discuss the main indications, efficacy, and possible side effects of the different types of drugs available today for IBD treatment.

Bile Acids and Their Receptors

Bile Acids and Their Receptors
Author: Stefano Fiorucci
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 374
Release: 2019-09-03
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 3030220052

This book focusses on the latest results related to the field of bile acids as signaling molecules and describes how these receptors have become a major pharmacological target. It covers all major areas of research in this field, from genetics, chemistry, in silico modeling, molecular biology to clinical applications, offering a cross-country view of the functional role of bile acids as signaling molecules, virtually acting on all major areas of metabolism. While FXR and GPBAR1 are essential bile acid sensors that integrate the de novo bile acid synthesis with intestinal microbiota and liver metabolism, in a broader sense, BARs play a pathogenic role in the development of common human alignments including liver, intestinal and metabolic disorders, such as steatosis (NAFLD) and steato-hepatitis (NASH), diabetes, obesity and atherosclerosis.

Tertiary Lymphoid Structures

Tertiary Lymphoid Structures
Author: Marie-Caroline Dieu-Nosjean
Publisher: Humana Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2018-09-05
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9781493987085

This volume explores the various methods used to study tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) in pathological situations. Pre-clinical models are also discussed in detail to show how TLS structure, development, and maintenance can be targeted and studied in vivo. The chapters in this book cover topics such as humans and mice; strategies to quantify TLS in order to use it in stained tissue sections; classifying a gene signature form fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues; and development of murine inflammatory models to help look at TLS in the context of infection or malignancy. Written in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible laboratory protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and thorough, Tertiary Lymphoid Structures: Methods and Protocols is a valuable resource that increases the reader’s knowledge on immune functions and how they will pave the way to future therapeutic applications.

Immunobiotics: Interactions of Beneficial Microbes with the Immune System

Immunobiotics: Interactions of Beneficial Microbes with the Immune System
Author: Julio Villena
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Total Pages: 309
Release: 2018-01-26
Genre:
ISBN: 2889453820

The term “immunobiotics” has been proposed to define microbial strains able to beneficially regulate the mucosal immune system. Research in immunobiotics has significantly evolved as researchers employed cutting-edge technologies to investigate the complex interactions of these beneficial microorganisms with the immune system. During the last decade, our understanding of immunobiotics-host interaction was profoundly transformed by the discovery of microbial molecules and host receptors involved in the modulation of gut associated immune system, as well as the systemic and distant mucosal immune systems. In recent years, there has been a substantial increase in the number of reports describing the beneficial effects of immunobiotics in diseases such as intestinal and respiratory infections, allergy, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, immunosuppression, and several other immune-mediated conditions. Evidence is also emerging of immunobiotics related molecules with immunomodulatory functions leading to the production of pharmabiotics, which may positively influence human or animal health. Therefore, research in immunobiotics continue to contribute not only to food but also medical and pharmaceutical fields. The compilation of research articles included in this ebook should help reader to have an overview of the recent advances in immunobiotics.

Enteric Glia

Enteric Glia
Author: Brian D. Gulbransen
Publisher: Biota Publishing
Total Pages: 72
Release: 2014-07-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1615046615

The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a complex neural network embedded in the gut wall that orchestrates the reflex behaviors of the intestine. The ENS is often referred to as the “little brain” in the gut because the ENS is more similar in size, complexity and autonomy to the central nervous system (CNS) than other components of the autonomic nervous system. Like the brain, the ENS is composed of neurons that are surrounded by glial cells. Enteric glia are a unique type of peripheral glia that are similar to astrocytes of the CNS. Yet enteric glial cells also differ from astrocytes in many important ways. The roles of enteric glial cell populations in the gut are beginning to come to light and recent evidence implicates enteric glia in almost every aspect of gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology. However, elucidating the exact mechanisms by which enteric glia influence gastrointestinal physiology and identifying how those roles are altered during gastrointestinal pathophysiology remain areas of intense research. The purpose of this e-book is to provide an introduction to enteric glial cells and to act as a resource for ongoing studies on this fascinating population of glia. Table of Contents: Introduction / A Historical Perspective on Enteric Glia / Enteric Glia: The Astroglia of the Gut / Molecular Composition of Enteric Glia / Development of Enteric Glia / Functional Roles of Enteric Glia / Enteric Glia and Disease Processes in the Gut / Concluding Remarks / References / Author Biography

Microbiome in Human Health and Disease

Microbiome in Human Health and Disease
Author: Pallaval Veera Bramhachari
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 306
Release: 2021-10-18
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9811631565

The book provides an overview on how the microbiome contributes to human health and disease. The microbiome has also become a burgeoning field of research in medicine, agriculture & environment. The readers will obtain profound knowledge on the connection between intestinal microbiota and immune defense systems, medicine, agriculture & environment. The book may address several researchers, clinicians and scholars working in biomedicine, microbiology and immunology. The application of new technologies has no doubt revolutionized the research initiatives providing new insights into the dynamics of these complex microbial communities and their role in medicine, agriculture & environment shall be more emphasized. Drawing on broad range concepts of disciplines and model systems, this book primarily provides a conceptual framework for understanding these human-microbe, animal-microbe & plant-microbe, interactions while shedding critical light on the scientific challenges that lie ahead. Furthermore this book explains why microbiome research demands a creative and interdisciplinary thinking—the capacity to combine microbiology with human, animal and plant physiology, ecological theory with immunology, and evolutionary perspectives with metabolic science.This book provides an accessible and authoritative guide to the fundamental principles of microbiome science, an exciting and fast-emerging new discipline that is reshaping many aspects of the life sciences. These microbial partners can also drive ecologically important traits, from thermal tolerance to diet in a typical immune system, and have contributed to animal and plant diversification over long evolutionary timescales. Also this book explains why microbiome research presents a more complete picture of the biology of humans and other animals, and how it can deliver novel therapies for human health and new strategies.