Title
Recovery of ethanol-induced Akkermansia muciniphila depletion ameliorates alcoholic liver disease
UMMS Affiliation
Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology; Center for Microbiome Research; Department of Microbiology and Physiological Systems; UMass Metabolic Network
Publication Date
2017-05-26
Document Type
Article
Disciplines
Biochemistry | Cell Biology | Cellular and Molecular Physiology | Gastroenterology | Molecular Biology
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) is a global health problem with limited therapeutic options. Intestinal barrier integrity and the microbiota modulate susceptibility to ALD. Akkermansia muciniphila, a Gram-negative intestinal commensal, promotes barrier function partly by enhancing mucus production. The aim of this study was to investigate microbial alterations in ALD and to define the impact of A. muciniphila administration on the course of ALD.
DESIGN: The intestinal microbiota was analysed in an unbiased approach by 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequencing in a Lieber-DeCarli ALD mouse model, and faecal A. muciniphila abundance was determined in a cohort of patients with alcoholic steatohepatitis (ASH). The impact of A. muciniphila on the development of experimental acute and chronic ALD was determined in a preventive and therapeutic setting, and intestinal barrier integrity was analysed.
RESULTS: Patients with ASH exhibited a decreased abundance of faecal A. muciniphila when compared with healthy controls that indirectly correlated with hepatic disease severity. Ethanol feeding of wild-type mice resulted in a prominent decline in A. muciniphila abundance. Ethanol-induced intestinal A. muciniphila depletion could be restored by oral A. muciniphila supplementation. Furthermore, A. muciniphila administration when performed in a preventive setting decreased hepatic injury, steatosis and neutrophil infiltration. A. muciniphila also protected against ethanol-induced gut leakiness, enhanced mucus thickness and tight-junction expression. In already established ALD, A. muciniphila used therapeutically ameliorated hepatic injury and neutrophil infiltration.
CONCLUSION: Ethanol exposure diminishes intestinal A. muciniphila abundance in both mice and humans and can be recovered in experimental ALD by oral supplementation. A. muciniphila promotes intestinal barrier integrity and ameliorates experimental ALD. Our data suggest that patients with ALD might benefit from A. muciniphila supplementation.
Keywords
Akkermansia muciniphila, alcoholic liver disease, alcoholic steatohepatitis, gut barrier, intestinal microbiota
DOI of Published Version
10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313432
Source
Gut. 2017 May 26. pii: gutjnl-2016-313432. doi: 10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313432. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
Gut
Related Resources
PubMed ID
28550049
Repository Citation
Lowe P, Gyongyosi B, Ward D, Szabo G. (2017). Recovery of ethanol-induced Akkermansia muciniphila depletion ameliorates alcoholic liver disease. UMass Metabolic Network Publications. https://doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2016-313432. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/metnet_pubs/111
Comments
Full author list omitted for brevity. For the full list of authors, see article.