The team has shown that even very low levels of bacterial endotoxins, toxins from the cell walls of some gut microbes, can alter microglia, the brain’s immune cells that help regulate neurons.
“When diet, stress, or long-term use of some medicines increase intestinal permeability, endotoxins can slip into the bloodstream and reach the brain,” said Prof. Beata Sobieszczańska, who heads the university’s Department of Microbiology. “If microglia stop working properly, the brain’s wider networks begin to falter.”
The researchers point to “metabolic endotoxemia,” a long-lasting, low-grade inflammatory state that can arise when the gut stays permeable for years.
Their data indicate that in such conditions the endothelium, the inner lining of blood vessels, becomes more prone to atherosclerotic changes.
After meals high in saturated fat, some people feel drowsy and sluggish, a response the team links to cytokines, immune signaling molecules released into the blood when endotoxins leak from the intestine.
This year the group aims to focus on microRNA, short strands of nucleic acids that modulate gene activity, to map which molecular pathways are switched on by endotoxins and saturated fatty acids.
The goal is to identify points where harmful processes can be blocked. Early work has started in endothelial cells from peripheral vessels. Next steps include cells that form the blood–brain barrier, the specialized lining that protects the brain.
The lab is also studying endothelial exosomes, tiny vesicles that can fuse with other cells and change how they function.
The first experiments are cataloguing which microRNA appear inside exosomes released after endothelial cells are exposed to endotoxins and saturated fats, and how those exosomes influence immune cells.
The team says brain care begins with the plate. Diet shapes which bacteria dominate the gut.
Vegetables and fruit, particularly leafy greens, feed beneficial microbes that support overall health, including brain function. Fermented foods such as pickled vegetables, kefir and yogurt provide probiotics, live bacteria that can help maintain a balanced microbiome.
Sobieszczańska cautions against heavy reliance on probiotic supplements. Commercial products usually contain five or six strains, while the intestinal ecosystem is far more complex. Overusing limited-strain capsules can upset that balance.
She recommends taking probiotics after an antibiotic course, not during it, and favoring natural, food-based sources that are cheaper and deliver broader benefits.
(rt/gs)
Source: naukawpolsce.pl