News Releases & Research Results Elucidation of mechanism of central nervous inflammation promoted by gut microorganisms - a novel potential treatment and prevention method for multiple sclerosis

News Releases & Research Results

Outline

The results of collaborative research conducted by Research Scientist Eiji Miyauchi and Team Leader Hiroshi Ohno (also a Project Leader at Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology and Visiting Professor at Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University) of Laboratory for Intestinal Ecosystem, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, and others.

The key results of research are as follows:

  • A mechanism, through which gut microorganisms promote the onset and progression of multiple sclerosis, an autoimmune inflammation of the central nervous system, was discovered.
  • Specifically, it was demonstrated that Lactobacillus reuteri (*1), a gut microorganism, cross-reacts with myelin-specific T cells, leading to the proliferation of T cells, whose pathogenicity is enhanced by the family Erysipelotrichaceae (*2).
    (*1) A Lactobacillus that lives in the intestine of animals including humans
    (*2) Bacterial family belonging to the phylum Firmicutes. It consists of gut microorganisms found in animals including humans. According to a report, consumption of high fat food is associated with increased growth of these gut microorganisms.
  • The results of the research may contribute to development of new treatment and preventive methods for multiple sclerosis.

This project was conducted with the support of Advanced Research and Development Programs for Medical Innovation (AMED-CREST).

The results of research were published online in Nature, a scientific journal, on August 27.

Article

Miyauchi E., et al. Gut microbes act in concert to exacerbate inflammation in spinal cords Nature
DOI:10.1038/s41586-020-2634-9

08/27/20

Last updated 08/27/20