Faecalibacterium prausnitzii

Thursday, 18 December 2008 16:07

Nutrition News

An intestinal bacteria less present during Crohn's disease presenting an anti-inflammatory action… 

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis involve an inflammation of the intestinal wall. The mechanisms of this inflammation start to be better understood.  These diseases present a deregulation of the immune response directed against the intestinal flora among genetically predisposed patients. Consequently, study of the intestinal flora and its composition became major issues for a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to intestinal inflammation. It was already highlighted that there is a reduction in the biodiversity of the normal intestinal flora in Crohn's disease with a reduction in a group of bacteria called Clostridium leptum. More particularly, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, a major bacteria of this group, is decreased in the intestinal flora of patients suffering from IBD.

The current study provides additional arguments concerning the responsibility for this imbalance of the flora in the genesis or the persistence of  IBD. Indeed, it is demonstrated that patients suffering from Crohn's disease, presenting less ileal F. prausnitzii at the time of a surgery with right ileocolectomy and endoscopic control at 6 months, have more post-operative recurrence of their disease. F. prausnitzii would thus be a protective factor against intestinal inflammation. This observation in human model is supported by parallel studies in vitro and in animals, showing an anti-inflammatory effect of this bacteria with a reduction in secretion of the inflammation transmitters. The interest of these discoveries is obviously, research and development of new treatments against IBD with, as a potential track, the use of F. prausnitzii as probiotic preventing the risk of recurrence of the disease after surgery.

(Sokol H et Al. PNAS 2008)