In Horses, the Gut Microbiome Interacts with Mitochondria to Improve Function

The study here is carried out in horses, but it is reasonable to expect to find very similar mechanisms in other mammals. The beneficial populations of the gut microbiome provide metabolites that steer cell function and exist in symbiosis with the host animal. Mitochondria, the power plants of the cell, are the evolved descendants of ancient symbiotic microbes, now an integral part of cellular processes. It is reasonable to think that the one can influence the other directly via signaling processes, as researchers discuss in these materials and elsewhere. In humans, for example, researchers have found that propionate generated by some populations of gut microbes can enhance athletic performance. There are no doubt other signals and metabolites at work as well, yet to be cataloged. Mitochondria, which can be briefly described as the energy provider of cells, have been shown in recent studies to be interdependent with gut bacteria. In fact, many diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction in humans, such as Parkinson's and Crohn's have been linked to changes in the gut microbiome in many previous studies. "Studying horses is a good way to assess the link between gut bacteria and mitochondria, because the level of exercise, and thereby mitochondrial function, performed by a horse during an endurance race is similar to that of a human marathon runner. For this study we took blood samples from 20 healthy horses of similar age and performance level, at the st...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs