Örebro Studies in Medicine 232 I
ÖREBRO 2021 ÖREBRO STUDIES IN MEDICINE 232 2021JU
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julia rode received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nutritional Sciences and her Master of Science degree in Molecular Biotechnology from the Technical University of Munich in 2014 and 2016. She joined the Nutrition-Gut-Brain Interactions Research Centre at Örebro University for her PhD studies in 2016.
Lately, interest in the gut microbiota, its modifications and the gut-brain axis has increased substantially.
Our body is colonised by a large number of microbes, of which a substantial part resides in our gut. The majority of this so-called gut microbiota lives in peaceful symbiosis with the host and seems to have a major impact on host physiology. It is suggested that aberrations of the gut microbiota play an important role in several diseases, however, what constitutes a ‘healthy’ gut microbiota is not defined yet. Nevertheless, gut microbiota modifications are already widely used as therapeutic options or research tools. Two possible ways of modifying the gut microbiota have been investigated in this thesis, namely faecal microbiota transfer and probiotics intake. Faecal microbiota transfer consists of the infusion of faecal material from a healthy donor into the intestine of a patient with the aim to restore a disturbed gut microbiota. Probiotics are defined as living microorganisms which, when consumed in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. The gut microbiota and its modifications can exert their effects locally on the gut, but also sys-temically. For example, the gut with its microbiota can affect the brain and vice versa, via the so-called gut-brain axis – a bidirectional communication system. The work included in this thesis did not only aim to understand which effects microbiota modifications had on the host, but also focused on how these effects were achieved. The understanding of underlying mechanisms is an important step towards the understanding and potential treatment of various diseases.
issn 1652-4063 isbn 978-91-7529-373-8
