Tryptophan for intestinal inflammation?

CWP Editor October 13, 2018 No Comments New research seems to have the answer. When a bacteria that normally lives in the intestine and a diet rich in protein meet, it generates a more tolerant immune system and, as a consequence, less inflammation. This is what new research has shown. The findings in mice suggest a way to help the intestinal immune system against inflammation. This is a great discovery for all our patients who suffer from inflammation. Immune system cells travel in the gut to make sure that microbes hiding in the food we eat don’t stick to the body. Cells that trigger inflammation are balanced by cells that promote tolerance, protecting the body without damaging sensitive tissues. When the balance tips too much toward inflammation, inflammatory diseases are created. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that a type of immune cell that helps tolerance appears in mice that carry a specific bacteria in their stomachs. In addition, the bacteria needs tryptophan – one of the main factors in building proteins – to activate the appearance of cells. “We have established a link between a bacterial species – Lactobacillus reuteri – that is a normal part of the gut microbiome, and the development of a population of cells that promote tolerance,” said Marco Colonna, MD, Robert Rock Belliveau MD Professor of Pathology and senior author of the study. “The more Tryptophan the mice ate, the more of these cells had.” If the studies pass all the tests, many of our patients with inflammation problems will benefit. It is known that humans have the same tolerant cells as mice, and most of us have L. reuteri in our gastrointestinal tracts. It is not known whether tryptophan from L. reuteri can induce cells to develop in people as they do in mice, but defects in tryptophan-related genes have been found in people with inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases. The investigations continue.