Dr. Weeks’ Comment: Parkinson’s disease is a horrifying dehumanizing process where good people lose control of their neurological function starting with tremors then weakness to the point of immobility. It’s cause is not well known but the pieces are coming together bit by bit and we know that the brain-gut connection which effects mood also effects neurological deterioration. Therefore, along with the standard of care drugs, anti-inflammatory foods need to be use to correct the leaky gut syndrome. Read more below about the connection between Parkinson’s disease and gut health.
RESEARCH
Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Jun 6;19(6):1689.
doi: 10.3390/ijms19061689.
Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis and Toll-Like Receptors in Parkinson’s Disease
Valentina Caputi 1 2, Maria Cecilia Giron 3
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressively debilitating neurodegenerative disease characterized by α-synucleinopathy, which involves all districts of the brain-gut axis, including the central, autonomic and enteric nervous systems. The highly bidirectional communication between the brain and the gut is markedly influenced by the microbiome through integrated immunological, neuroendocrine and neurological processes. The gut microbiota and its relevant metabolites interact with the host via a series of biochemical and functional inputs, thereby affecting host homeostasis and health. Indeed, a dysregulated microbiota-gut-brain axis in PD might lie at the basis of gastrointestinal dysfunctions which predominantly emerge many years prior to the diagnosis, corroborating the theory that the pathological process is spread from the gut to the brain. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a crucial role in innate immunity by recognizing conserved motifs primarily found in microorganisms and a dysregulation in their signaling may be implicated in α-synucleinopathy, such as PD. An overstimulation of the innate immune system due to gut dysbiosis and/or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, together with higher intestinal barrier permeability, may provoke local and systemic inflammation as well as enteric neuroglial activation, ultimately triggering the development of alpha-synuclein pathology. In this review, we provide the current knowledge regarding the relationship between the microbiota-gut⁻brain axis and TLRs in PD. A better understanding of the dialogue sustained by the microbiota-gut-brain axis and innate immunity via TLR signaling should bring interesting insights in the pathophysiology of PD and provide novel dietary and/or therapeutic measures aimed at shaping the gut microbiota composition, improving the intestinal epithelial barrier function and balancing the innate immune response in PD patients, in order to influence the early phases of the following neurodegenerative cascade.
AND
Front Neurol. 2021 Sep 22;12:720958.
doi: 10.3389/fneur.2021.720958. eCollection 2021.
Association Between Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Risk of Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
XinYue Zhang 1, Zhen Svn 2, MengSi Liv 2, Yan Yang 1, Rui Zeng 1, Qian Huang 1, Qin Sun 1 3
Abstract
Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are respectively one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases and functional bowel diseases in the world. Recent studies suggest that patients with IBS seem to have a higher risk of PD, which conflicts with the result of previous meta-analysis. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate all available evidence, in order to clarify the association between PD and IBS. Methods: Two reviewers independently searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane library on April 25, 2021 to identify all records that explore the association between IBS and PD. All reports that clearly define PD and IBS and analyze the relationship between the two were included. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the risk of bias of included studies. Results: Five studies from four articles involving 2,044,110 subjects were included in this analysis. The pooled results demonstrated a significant association between PD and IBS (1.48; 95% CI: 1.35-1.62, P < 0.001), with subtle heterogeneity (I 2 = 0.0%, p = 0.585). The association was observed across genders and increased with age. However, the available evidence cannot allow a reliable analysis of the causal relationship between IBS and PD. Conclusion: This study demonstrates a higher risk of PD among subjects with IBS. Future studies are required to further clarify the causation and underlying mechanism of the association.
AND
J Neurol. 2020 Sep;267(9):2507-2523.
doi: 10.1007/s00415-019-09320-1. Epub 2019 Apr 30.
Parkinson’s disease and the gastrointestinal microbiome
Michal Lubomski 1 2 3, Ai Huey Tan 4, Shen-Yang Lim 4, Andrew J Holmes 5, Ryan L Davis 6, Carolyn M Sue 7 6
Abstract
Recently, there has been a surge in awareness of the gastrointestinal microbiome (GM) and its role in health and disease. Of particular note is an association between the GM and Parkinson’s disease (PD) and the realisation that the GM can act via a complex bidirectional communication between the gut and the brain. Compelling evidence suggests that a shift in GM composition may play an important role in the pathogenesis of PD by facilitating the characteristic ascending neurodegenerative spread of α-synuclein aggregates from the enteric nervous system to the brain. Here, we review evidence linking GM changes with PD, highlighting mechanisms supportive of pathological α-synuclein spread and intestinal inflammation in PD. We summarise existing patterns and correlations seen in clinical studies of the GM in PD, together with the impacts of non-motor symptoms, medications, lifestyle, diet and ageing on the GM. Roles of GM modulating therapies including probiotics and faecal microbiota transplantation are discussed. Encouragingly, alterations in the GM have repeatedly been observed in PD, supporting a biological link and highlighting it as a potential therapeutic target.
AND
Ageing Res Rev. 2018 Aug;45:53-61.
doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2018.04.004. Epub 2018 Apr 26.
Dysbiosis of gut microbiota and microbial metabolites in Parkinson’s Disease
Meng-Fei Sun 1, Yan-Qin Shen 2
Abstract
Gut microbial dysbiosis and alteration of microbial metabolites in Parkinson’s disease (PD) have been increasingly reported. Dysbiosis in the composition and abundance of gut microbiota can affect both the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system (CNS), indicating the existence of a microbiota-gut-brain axis and thereby causing CNS diseases. Disturbance of the microbiota-gut-brain axis has been linked to specific microbial products that are related to gut inflammation and neuroinflammation. Future directions should therefore focus on the exploration of specific gut microbes or microbial metabolites that contribute to the development of PD. Microbiota-targeted interventions, such as antibiotics, probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation, have been shown to favorably affect host health. In this review, recent findings regarding alterations and the role of gut microbiota and microbial metabolites in PD are summarized, and potential molecular mechanisms and microbiota-targeted interventions in PD are discussed.
AND
Ageing Res Rev. 2018 Aug;45:53-61.
doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2018.04.004. Epub 2018 Apr 26.
Dysbiosis of gut microbiota and microbial metabolites in Parkinson’s Disease
Meng-Fei Sun 1, Yan-Qin Shen 2
Abstract
Gut microbial dysbiosis and alteration of microbial metabolites in Parkinson’s disease (PD) have been increasingly reported. Dysbiosis in the composition and abundance of gut microbiota can affect both the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system (CNS), indicating the existence of a microbiota-gut-brain axis and thereby causing CNS diseases. Disturbance of the microbiota-gut-brain axis has been linked to specific microbial products that are related to gut inflammation and neuroinflammation. Future directions should therefore focus on the exploration of specific gut microbes or microbial metabolites that contribute to the development of PD. Microbiota-targeted interventions, such as antibiotics, probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation, have been shown to favorably affect host health. In this review, recent findings regarding alterations and the role of gut microbiota and microbial metabolites in PD are summarized, and potential molecular mechanisms and microbiota-targeted interventions in PD are discussed.