Your Gut Activates Its "Natural Ozempic": "Neurobiotic Sense" Key to Appetite Regulation
- 25 jul
- 3 Min. de lectura
A revolutionary discovery is redefining our understanding of gut-brain communication, uncovering a newly identified system called the "neurobiotic sense". This innovative finding explains how our brain can respond in real time to signals from the microbes inhabiting our gut."Neurobiotic Sense" Key to Appetite Regulation.
Led by Duke University School of Medicine neurobiologists, including Diego Bohórquez, PhD, and M. Maya Kaelberer, PhD, the research published in the journal Nature focuses on neuropod cells. These are tiny sensor cells that line the colon's epithelium. Neuropod cells have the ability to detect a common microbial protein and send rapid messages to the brain that can help curb appetite and guide decision-making about eating.
The key player in this process is flagellin, an ancient protein found in bacterial flagella, tail-like structures that bacteria use to move. When we eat, some gut bacteria release flagellin. Neuropod cells detect this flagellin with the help of a specific receptor called TLR5 (Toll-like receptor 5). Once detected, the signal is rapidly transmitted through the vagus nerve, a major communication pathway directly between the gut and the brain. This gut-brain neural circuit forms the aforementioned neurobiotic sense.
The researchers demonstrated this mechanism through experiments in mice. By administering a small dose of flagellin directly into the colon of fasted mice, they observed a significant decrease in food intake within 20 minutes in littermate controls. However, in mice whose TLR5 receptor had been ablated from PYY-labeled cells, flagellin had no effect; these mice ate more (increased meal size in both sexes and longer meal duration in females) and gained more weight than controls. This indicates that the appetite suppression system did not function. This appetite-suppressing effect of flagellin was also observed in germ-free mice, suggesting that flagellin sensing alone is sufficient to suppress food intake, regardless of other microbial signals.
The study concluded that PYY-labeled colonic neuropod cells use TLR5 to detect flagellin and rapidly signal to the brain via the vagus nerve, regulating feeding behavior through dedicated NPY2R receptors. In essence, neuropod cells send a "We've had enough" signal to the brain. This "neurobiotic sense" enables the host to adjust behavior by monitoring gut microbial patterns.
This discovery is particularly relevant because it suggests that the gut's bacterial system naturally mimics the appetite-suppressing effects of drugs like Ozempic (GLP-1 analogs), but potentially without the adverse side effects. Scientists believe that manipulating this bacterial system and enhancing natural communication, possibly through specific diets or by ingesting prebiotics and probiotics, could be a strategy for natural weight loss.
Looking ahead, this research is crucial for understanding how our behavior is influenced by microbes. A clear next step is to investigate how specific diets alter the microbial landscape in the gut, which could be a key piece of the puzzle in conditions like obesity or psychiatric disorders. In summary, this new neurobiotic sense provides us with a capability similar to our other senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch), but operating from an unexpected place: the gut.
🔖 Sources
