{"id":1998,"date":"2023-10-11T02:31:37","date_gmt":"2023-10-11T02:31:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advagen.com\/postbio\/?p=1998"},"modified":"2023-10-11T02:31:37","modified_gmt":"2023-10-11T02:31:37","slug":"introduction-to-the-gut-lung-axis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advagen.com\/postbio\/introduction-to-the-gut-lung-axis\/","title":{"rendered":"Introduction to the Gut-Lung Axis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Key Points:<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\u2013 In recent years, researchers have begun to uncover the association between the gut microbiota and respiratory health via the\u00a0gut-lung axis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u2013 Our lungs, which were traditionally thought to be sterile, are estimated to contain about 103\u00a0<\/sup>to 105<\/sup>\u00a0bacteria per gram of tissue.<\/p>\n

\u2013 The gut and lungs communicate bi-directionally via their respective sets of microbiotas and the metabolites such as\u00a0short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)\u00a0<\/strong>which are produced when good gut bacteria feeds on prebiotics.<\/p>\n

\n

Our lungs and respiratory system are vital for many bodily functions. Lung diseases remain as leading causes of death worldwide [1]. More people are now taking steps to maintain a healthy respiratory system and prevent lung diseases. In recent years, researchers have begun to uncover the association between the\u00a0gut microbiota<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0respiratory health<\/strong>. Read on to find out more about the\u00a0gut-lung axis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Gut Health and Gut Microbiota<\/h3>\n

Our gut consists of trillions of such microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa species. This set of gut microbiota is unique to everyone and varies due to several factors including\u00a0environmental<\/strong>,\u00a0lifestyle<\/strong>,\u00a0dietary habits<\/strong>, and consumption of medications such as\u00a0antibiotics\u00a0<\/strong>[2].<\/p>\n

This innate set of gut microbiota (the set that we are born with) is thought to be the\u00a0most optimum<\/strong>\u00a0for oneself. This optimum composition deteriorates as we age. Along with poorer modern-day diets lacking in prebiotics (food for the good gut bacteria) as well as increased use of medications, the composition and amount of good gut bacteria decrease even faster.<\/p>\n

An optimum gut microbiota consists of a healthy balance of both good and bad gut bacteria species, which leads to good gut health.<\/p>\n

Introduction to the Lung Microbiota<\/h3>\n

Recent technological advances have discovered the presence of microbes in our lungs, which were traditionally thought to be sterile [3]. In healthy lungs, it is estimated that there are about 103\u00a0<\/sup>to 105<\/sup>\u00a0bacteria per gram of tissue. This number is much lower compared to the lower gastrointestinal tract, where there are about 1011<\/sup>\u00a0bacteria cells per gram of tissue [3].<\/p>\n

The colonization of bacterial species in the lungs depends on several factors such as\u00a0air inhalation<\/strong>, migration of microbes from the\u00a0oral cavity<\/strong>, and\u00a0local conditions in the lungs<\/strong>\u00a0such as pH, temperature and oxygen levels [3,4]. The bacterial species that reside in the lungs are similar to those in the gut, which consists of mainly\u00a0Firmicutes<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Bacteroidetes<\/em>\u00a0[5].<\/p>\n

Gut-Lung Axis: Evidence<\/h3>\n

Although anatomically distinct, the gut and lungs communicate bi-directionally via their respective sets of microbiotas. This communication is referred to as the\u00a0gut-lung axis\u00a0<\/strong>[4]. Just as a healthy set of gut microbiota supports our\u00a0cardiovascular health<\/a>\u00a0[6] and\u00a0immune system<\/a>\u00a0[7], the health of the gut also affects our lungs.<\/p>\n

Dysbiosis refers to an alteration of the gut microbiota and is associated with many inflammatory diseases both within and outside the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Inflammatory diseases include\u00a0inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)<\/a>\u00a0[8] and\u00a0asthma<\/strong>\u00a0[9]. Evidence of the gut-lung axis is further demonstrated in patients with chronic GI-related diseases such as IBD: these patients also tend to have a higher prevalence of respiratory-related diseases [10].<\/p>\n

Other evidence that the gut and lungs communicate with each other [4]:<\/p>\n

\u2013\u00a0Gut to lung microbiota<\/strong>: changes to an infant\u2019s diet have been found to alter the lung microbiota
\n\u2013\u00a0Lung to gut microbiota<\/strong>: influenza infection was found to induce changes in the gut microbiota, including a decrease in\u00a0Lactobacillus<\/em>\u00a0species, a gut microbe species known to be beneficial to humans [11]<\/p>\n

Gut-Lung Axis: How They Interact<\/h3>\n

Good gut bacteria feed on prebiotics in a process called fermentation, which produces\u00a0short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)<\/strong>. SCFAs such as butyrate and propionate have been found to have immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory effects in the gastrointestinal tract [12].<\/p>\n

These SCFAs also travel from the gut to the lungs, leading to local effects on the lungs such as modulating\u00a0lung immune response<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0anti-inflammatory effects<\/strong>, which can potentially play a role in respiratory inflammatory diseases such as asthma [4]. Hence, dysbiosis at the gut level may affect immune responses in the lungs.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h3>\n

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started, more emphasis has been placed on the importance of lung health and ways to proactively support our lungs. The existence of the\u00a0gut-lung axis<\/strong>\u00a0shows that improving our gut microbiota through dietary changes and supplements such as\u00a0prebiotics<\/strong>\u00a0provides an opportunity to improve our lung health and protect against respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD.<\/p>\n

Related articles<\/h3>\n

\"gut-brain-immune
\nGut-Brain-Immune Axis: An Introduction<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Prebiotic
\nPrebiotic: Gut Microbiota, Gut Health, and Beyond<\/a><\/p>\n

\"gut
\nKeeping Your Gut Microbiota Healthy to Combat Long COVID and Severe COVID-19 Infection<\/a><\/p>\n

References<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. GBD Chronic Respiratory Disease Collaborators. Prevalence and attributable health burden of chronic respiratory diseases, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.\u00a0Lancet Respir Med<\/em>. 2020 Jun;8(6):585-596.<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Rutsch A, Kantsj\u00f6 JB., Ronchi F. The Gut-Brain Axis: How Microbiota and Host Inflammasome Influence Brain Physiology and Pathology.\u00a0Immunol<\/em>. 2020;11.<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Yagi K, Huffnagle GB, Lukacs NW, Asai N. The Lung Microbiome during Health and Disease.\u00a0Int J Mol Sci<\/em>. 2021 Oct 8;22(19):10872.<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Enaud R, Prevel R, Ciarlo E, et al. The Gut-Lung Axis in Health and Respiratory Diseases: A Place for Inter-Organ and Inter-Kingdom Crosstalks.\u00a0Front Cell Infect Microbiol<\/em>. 2020 Feb 19;10:9.<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Faner R, Sibila O, Agust\u00ed A, et al. The microbiome in respiratory medicine: current challenges and future perspectives.\u00a0Eur Respir J<\/em>. 2017 Apr 12;49(4):1602086.<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Witkowski M, Weeks TL, Hazen SL. Gut Microbiota and Cardiovascular Disease.\u00a0Circ Res<\/em>. 2020 Jul 31;127(4):553-570.<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Yoo JY, Groer M, Dutra SVO, et al. Gut Microbiota and Immune System Interactions [published correction appears in Microorganisms. 2020 Dec 21;8(12):].\u00a0Microorganisms<\/em>. 2020;8(10):1587.<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Nishida A, Inoue R, Inatomi O, et al. Gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease.\u00a0Clin J Gastroenterol<\/em>. 2018 Feb;11(1):1-10.<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Hufnagl K, Pali-Sch\u00f6ll I, Roth-Walter F, Jensen-Jarolim E. Dysbiosis of the gut and lung microbiome has a role in asthma.\u00a0Semin Immunopathol<\/em>. 2020 Feb;42(1):75-93.<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Dang AT, Marsland BJ. Microbes, metabolites, and the gut-lung axis.\u00a0Mucosal Immunol<\/em>. 2019 Jul;12(4):843-850.<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. Ahrne S, Hagslatt ML. Effect of lactobacilli on paracellular permeability in the gut.\u00a0Nutrients<\/em>. 2011 Jan;3(1):104-17.<\/a><\/li>\n
  12. Vinolo MA, Rodrigues HG, Nachbar RT, Curi R. Regulation of inflammation by short chain fatty acids.\u00a0Nutrients<\/em>. 2011 Oct;3(10):858-76.<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Key Points: \u2013 In recent years, researchers have begun to uncover the association between the gut microbiota and respiratory health via the\u00a0gut-lung axis. \u2013 Our lungs, which were traditionally thought to be sterile, are estimated to contain about 103\u00a0to 105\u00a0bacteria per gram of tissue. \u2013 The gut and lungs communicate bi-directionally via their respective sets […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1999,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles"],"yoast_head":"\nIntroduction to the Gut-Lung Axis - 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