Microbial Symbionts Accelerate Wound Healing via the Neuropeptide Hormone Oxytocin
Name
Poutahidis-2013-Microbial Symbionts.pdf
Size
37.73 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
f31e1693672dd1d852df541f53e92d45
Author(s)
Poutahidis, Theofilos
Levkovich, Tatiana
Qi, Peimin
Chatzigiagkos, Antonis
Alm, Eric J.
Erdman, Susan E.
Kearney, Sean Michael
Varian, Bernard
Lakritz, Jessica
Ibrahim, Yassin
Date Issued
October 2013
Journal
PLoS ONE
Publisher
Public Library of Science
Citation
Poutahidis, Theofilos, Sean M. Kearney, Tatiana Levkovich, Peimin Qi, Bernard J. Varian, Jessica R. Lakritz, Yassin M. Ibrahim, Antonis Chatzigiagkos, Eric J. Alm, and Susan E. Erdman. “Microbial Symbionts Accelerate Wound Healing via the Neuropeptide Hormone Oxytocin.” Edited by Silvana Gaetani. PLoS ONE 8, no. 10 (October 30, 2013): e78898.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Wound healing capability is inextricably linked with diverse aspects of physical fitness ranging from recovery after minor injuries and surgery to diabetes and some types of cancer. Impact of the microbiome upon the mammalian wound healing process is poorly understood. We discover that supplementing the gut microbiome with lactic acid microbes in drinking water accelerates the wound-healing process to occur in half the time required for matched control animals. Further, we find that Lactobacillus reuteri enhances wound-healing properties through up-regulation of the neuropeptide hormone oxytocin, a factor integral in social bonding and reproduction, by a vagus nerve-mediated pathway. Bacteria-triggered oxytocin serves to activate host CD4+Foxp3+CD25+ immune T regulatory cells conveying transplantable wound healing capacity to naive Rag2-deficient animals. This study determined oxytocin to be a novel component of a multi-directional gut microbe-brain-immune axis, with wound-healing capability as a previously unrecognized output of this axis. We also provide experimental evidence to support long-standing medical traditions associating diet, social practices, and the immune system with efficient recovery after injury, sustained good health, and longevity.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Biological Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Division of Comparative Medicine
Terms of Use
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078898
