Fecal Swapping between Young & Aging mice Swaps Aging Markers

[Tom.G]

"To better understand the effects of these changes in the microbiota in old age, scientists from the Quadram Institute transferred the gut microbes from aged mice into healthy young mice, and vice versa. They then looked at how this affected inflammatory hallmarks of aging in the gut, brain and eye, which suffer from declining function in later life.

The study, published in the journal Microbiome, found that the microbiota from old donors led to loss of integrity of the lining of the gut, allowing bacterial products to cross into the circulation, which results in triggering the immune system and inflammation in the brain and eyes."

Popular (short) version:
https://neurosciencenews.com/fecal-transplants-aging-20522/

Research Report:
https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-022-01243-wNow if I could only find a much younger doppleganger...

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Godot_]

1) In the biomed field, microbiome stuff is currently the sexiest science by far (after ofc CoViD)
2) Fecal transplant is a medical procedure that's been used successfully in e.g. immunsuppressed patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile diarrhea...
3) You don't necessarily need a younger doppleganger, any poo-healthy donor might do.

Also, vaginal seeding is an optional procedure for children born vie cesarean section.

But I'd neither ridicule it nor recommend it, the whole affair still is somewhat unclear. The theory behind it is plausible, but not really a proven concept. Like epigenetics, there are a lot of hints and lab, animal or small-scale experiments - published in peer-reviewed journals, too. But "doesn't work out" doesn't cut the editor hurdle, and won't benefit your publication list.

Let's grab a few truckloads of popcorn to munch while we wait and watch...