Researchers have identified specific groups of gut microbes that can increase or decrease a person’s risk of suffering the most common type of stroke. The study, presented at the European Stroke Organization (ESOC) conference in Lyon, France, adds to the growing body of evidence that changes in the intestinal microbiome may play a role in cardiovascular disease.
Previous studies have suggested that some microbes may affect the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in the arteries and that the intestinal microbiomes of stroke patients differ from those of healthy controls.
To study whether they can also affect people’s recovery from stroke, Dr Mikel Ledos of the Sant Pau Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain, and colleagues took stool samples from 89 people who had recently suffered an ischemic stroke ( where a blood clot blocks the flow of oxygen to the brain), as well as from healthy individuals, and perform DNA sequencing to identify the various microorganisms present in their gut and whether certain groups of bacteria correlate with their functional recovery.
“We have identified new ones [bacterial] taxa associated with a higher risk of acute stroke severity at six hours and 24 hours, “said Ledos.” We also identified one class, one genus and one species associated with poor functional performance three months after ischemic stroke.
“The discovery opens up the exciting prospect that in the future we may be able to prevent strokes or improve neurological recovery by examining the intestinal microbiota. There are currently no specific neuroprotective treatments to prevent neurological deterioration after stroke. The use of new therapies such as changes in the microbiome through dietary changes or fecal transplantation may be useful in improving post-stroke evolution.
Meanwhile, a separate study presented by Cyprien Rivier of Yale University in Connecticut, USA, uses a statistical technique called Mendelian randomization to examine whether the link between stroke risk and changes in the intestinal microbiome is truly causal.
They combined data from 2,300 participants in the Flemish Gut Flora project, plus another 34,000 people in a large study examining the role of genetics in stroke risk, looking at whether genes known to increase the likelihood of sheltering people specific microbial species affect their risk of ischemic stroke. Thus, 26 bacterial species were identified that are significantly associated with stroke.
“Most of the bacteria we found are associated with a lower risk, but five of them are associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke or one of the subtypes of this type of stroke,” Rivier said.
The next step will be to examine the mechanisms by which the presence or absence of certain species contributes to the risk of stroke.
River said: “Bacteria can release toxins into the blood, they can also produce certain proteins that interfere with physiological processes. There is also what we call the gut-brain-brain axis – a two-way path between the brain and the microbiome, in which the brain affects the gut through nerves, and the microbiome in turn affects mainly organs, including the brain. by changing blood pressure. “
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