Low-level inflammation, immunity, and brain-gut axis in IBS: unraveling the complex relationships

Gut Microbes. 2023 Dec;15(2):2263209. doi: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2263209. Epub 2023 Oct 2.

Abstract

Irritable bowel syndrome is a common functional gastrointestinal disorder, and it has been shown that the etiology of irritable bowel syndrome is a multifactorial complex of neurological, inflammatory, and immunological changes. There is growing evidence of low-grade chronic inflammation in irritable bowel patients. The peripheral action response of their intestinal immune factors is integrated into the central nervous system, while the microbiota interacts with the brain-gut axis contributing to the development of low-grade chronic inflammation. The objective of this review is to present a discussion about the impact of immune-brain-gut axis-inflammation interactions on irritable bowel syndrome, its clinical relevance in the course of irritable bowel syndrome disease, and possible therapeutic modalities.

Keywords: Irritable bowel syndrome; brain-gut axis; gut microbiome; immunity; inflammation.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Brain
  • Brain-Gut Axis
  • Gastrointestinal Microbiome* / physiology
  • Humans
  • Inflammation
  • Inflammatory Bowel Diseases*
  • Irritable Bowel Syndrome*

Grants and funding

The work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [81973936]; Anhui Province Scientific Research Planning Project [2022AH050438].