NUNZIUM

Trillions of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, inhabit our bodies. Even though they colonize all of our body surfaces, such as skin, lungs, mouth, genital and urinary tract, the majority of them camp out in our gut. We refer to these microorganisms as gut microbiota. Several pieces of evidence show that the gut microbiota influences various processes of our body inside and outside the intestine. For example, they help digestion, protect against pathogens, make vitamins, influence the function of our immune system and maintain a balance between health and disease. A recent study support changes in the composition of the gut microbiota as a potential contributor to Parkinson’s. Parkinson’s is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive loss of neurons in the brain due to a misfolding and clumping of the alpha-synuclein protein. Such toxic aggregates promote damage to specialized neurons, also called dopaminergic neurons, therefore, triggering disease symptoms such as tremors, slow movements, rigid muscles, impaired balance and loss of automatics movements. Studies in mice suggest that alpha-synuclein clumps can form in the neurons located in the gut’s mucosal layer and spread in the brain, causing changes in dopaminergic neurons and eventually causing Parkinson’s. Further studies are needed to understand whether this evidence can be translated into humans. Overall, it is important to say that many factors, including genetics, the use of antibiotics, environment, lifestyle, and diet, can influence the composition of the gut microbiota and, therefore, the susceptibility to diseases. As more and more evidence suggests that gut microbiota is an important regulator for human health, controlling it may be one of the next frontiers in medicine.