Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Mar 11:12:839526.
doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.839526. eCollection 2022.

A Gut Feeling in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Microbiome of Mice and Men

Sarah Martin  1 , Carolina Battistini  1 , Jun Sun  1   2   3   4
Affiliations
Review

A Gut Feeling in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: Microbiome of Mice and Men

Sarah Martin et al. Front Cell Infect Microbiol. .

Abstract

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a severely debilitating disease characterized by progressive degeneration of motor neurons. ALS etiology and pathophysiology are not well understood. It could be the consequences of complex interactions among host factors, microbiome, and the environmental factors. Recent data suggest the novel roles of intestinal dysfunction and microbiota in ALS etiology and progression. Although microbiome may indeed play a critical role in ALS pathogenesis, studies implicating innate immunity and intestinal changes in early disease pathology are limited. The gastrointestinal symptoms in the ALS patients before their diagnosis are largely ignored in the current medical practice. This review aims to explore existing evidence of gastrointestinal symptoms and progress of microbiome in ALS pathogenesis from human and animal studies. We discuss dietary, metabolites, and possible therapeutic approaches by targeting intestinal function and microbiome. Finally, we evaluate existing evidence and identify gaps in the knowledge for future directions in ALS. It is essential to understanding the microbiome and intestinal pathogenesis that determine when, where, and whether microbiome and metabolites critical to ALS progression. These studies will help us to develop more accurate diagnosis and better treatment not only for this challenging disease, but also for other neurodegenerative diseases.

Keywords: CNS - central nervous system; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); bacteria; enteric neuron; gastrointestinal digestion; metabolite; microbiome; motor neurodegeneration.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Ballan R., Battistini C., Xavier-Santos D., Saad S. M. I. (2020). Interactions of Probiotics and Prebiotics With the Gut Microbiota. Prog. Mol. Biol. Transl. Sci. 171, 265–300. doi: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2020.03.008 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Banack S. A., Cox P. A. (2003). Biomagnification of Cycad Neurotoxins in Flying Foxes: Implications for ALS-PDC in Guam. Neurology 61, 387–389. doi: 10.1212/01.WNL.0000078320.18564.9F - DOI - PubMed
    1. Baquero F., Nombela C. (2012). The Microbiome as a Human Organ. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. 18, 2–4. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2012.03916.x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Blacher E., Bashiardes S., Shapiro H., Rothschild D., Mor U., Dori-Bachash M., et al. . (2019). Potential Roles of Gut Microbiome and Metabolites in Modulating ALS in Mice. Nature 572, 474–480. doi: 10.1038/s41586-019-1443-5 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brenner D., Hiergeist A., Adis C., Mayer B., Gessner A., Ludolph A. C., et al. . (2018). The Fecal Microbiome of ALS Patients. Neurobiol. Aging 61, 132–137. doi: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.09.023 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types