How Probiotics May Help Treat Multiple Sclerosis

While there is currently no cure for MS, research advancements have been made to help manage symptoms and slow down disease progression.

Most recently, the role of gut bacteria in the body sparked a particular interest among researchers, leading them to ponder over how the genetic material influences the body and overall health. An imbalance in the gut bacteria could lead the body to attack itself, thus triggering the onset of an autoimmune disease. “We know that MS is caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, but these are only partially understood. Most of the environmental contribution to MS remains unexplained” said Ilana Katz Sand, an assistant professor at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City, specializing in Neurology.

Mayo Clinic has made a breakthrough in their research on gut bacteria and MS. They found that gut microbes may have the potential to treat autoimmune diseases, like MS. Researchers pondered over what exactly triggers gut bacteria and if it would be possible to alter the microbiome (collection of microorganisms that live within the human body - combined DNA of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and archaeal cells) in order to ease symptoms of MS and slow down disease progression. “These bacteria help us digest our food, provide essential vitamins, and assist in the development of our immune and nervous systems. Many of them protect us from disease” said Sarkis Mazmanian, a professor of microbiology at the California Institute of Technology.

“The gut is the second largest site of exposure of the body to the outside world after the skin, which is a largely impermeable barrier. In most people, a delicate homeostasis develops, with the immune system ignoring commensal (normal) bacteria and food proteins, but actively eliminating pathogens. In some people, an imbalance develops, leading to inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and growing evidence from animal models and clinical studies in humans shows that these imbalances can play a role in systemic illness as well” said Daniel Mielcarz, a research scientist of microbiology and immunology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth.

In their research, the researchers from Mayo Clinic analyzed 3 different types of microbe from the human intestine and tested them on an MS mouse model. Based on the results from the tests that they conducted; the researchers discovered that one strain of bacteria, known as Prevotella histicola, successfully suppressed the immune disease in the MS mouse model. More specifically, they found that the bacteria were able to decrease the quantity of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are cell types that trigger inflammation. In addition, Prevotella histicola was able to increase the level of T cells, dendritic cells, and a form of macrophage, which are important cell types that help tackle the disease. In turn, the researchers noticed that there was a decrease in inflammation and demyelination. “This is an early discovery but an avenue that bears further study. If we can use the microbes already in the human body to treat human disease beyond the gut itself, we may be onto a new era of medicine. We are taking about bugs as drugs” said senior author, Dr. Joseph Murray.

Read on to learn more about this revolutionary research.