Harvard Study Reveals Gut Bacteria's Role in Energy Regulation for Obesity and Diabetes Treatment

A research project supported by FAPESP and conducted at Harvard University has uncovered crucial insights into how gut bacteria influence energy regulation and metabolic health. The study, published in Cell Metabolism, identified a set of metabolites that travel from the intestine to the liver and then to the heart, impacting metabolic pathways in the liver and insulin sensitivity in the body.

Vitor Rosetto Munoz, the first author and postdoctoral researcher at the Ribeirao Preto School of Physical Education and Sports at the University of Sao Paulo, explained that the hepatic portal vein receives blood from the intestine, making it the first site for gut microbiome products.

The researchers analyzed blood from mice with varying susceptibility to obesity and diabetes, finding that healthy mice had 111 metabolites enriched in the hepatic portal vein, which dropped to 48 when genetically predisposed mice were fed a high-fat diet.

This indicates that diet can significantly affect the distribution of these metabolites, which differ between susceptible mice and those resistant to metabolic syndrome. The study also revealed the interplay between environmental factors and genetics in shaping metabolite profiles.

When the team disrupted the gut microbiome of susceptible mice with antibiotics, they noted changes in metabolite balance, resulting in increased mesaconate, a compound involved in the Krebs cycle, which improved insulin signaling in liver cells.

The researchers aim to further characterize these metabolites and their production processes to identify potential new therapeutic options for obesity and type 2 diabetes treatment.