- Some gut bacteria can fight inflammation in the intestines
- Study shows less inflammation makes anti-retroviral drugs more efficient
- It means that therapies targeting gut could help boost ART in patients
- The findings are the latest to show how key our guts are to our health
Mia De Graaf For Dailymail.com
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Gut bacteria can dramatically affect how HIV patients react to medication, new research reveals.
It is the latest significant study to show that our intestines have a much greater impact on our health than previously thought.
Researchers from the University of Valencia have discovered patients with a less inflamed gut display a much better response to anti-retroviral therapy (ART).
The findings suggest therapies to target gut bacteria could boost the efficiency of ART, and prevent side effects or complications that commonly arise during treatment.
New hope for patients? Researchers from the University of Valencia have discovered patients with a less inflamed gut display a much better response to anti-retroviral therapy (ART)
‘HIV patients suffer from persistent immune deficiencies and chronic intestinal inflammation caused, in part, by the very toxins released by the cells to fight off the HIV infection,’ lead research Manuel Ferrer, of the Catalysis Institute, explains.
‘In this study we have found that, in some patients, certain gut bacteria become activated during ART and begin to amass anti-inflammatory molecules.’
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In the study, the researchers analysed the gut bacteria found in the fecal matter of healthy subjects and HIV patients undergoing different intensities of infection control and immune recovery.
Specifically, they studied the activity levels of bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.
The results suggest a correlation between bacterial activity and immune response as a consequence of HIV and anti-retroviral treatment.
‘The make-up and behavior of the gut bacteria of HIV patients whose body responds adequately to anti-retrovirals are different to those who respond less well to treatment.
‘It is possible that the reason why some subjects respond better to anti-retrovirals is because their immune system is predisposed to these beneficial, recovery-enabling bacteria,’ adds researcher Sergio Serrano-Villar at Hospital Ramón y Cajal.
The findings suggest therapies to target gut bacteria could boost the efficiency of ART, and prevent side effects or complications that commonly arise during treatment
So gut bacteria appear to play a role in successful immune recovery in HIV-infected individuals.
Antriretroviral treatments could therefore have a greater impact on HIV patients’ health if combined with therapies that target this subset of bacteria.
‘The design of new probiotic foods could be an option, for instance,’ Ferrer said.
The results of the study, published in eBioMedicine journal, could help in the design of new therapies for the prevention of complications associated with immunodepression and chronic inflammation, such as diseases associated with aging that appear earlier and more frequently in people with HIV.
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