Gut microbiota-brain interaction: An emerging immunotherapy for traumatic brain injury

Yuxuan Zhang; Zhaoyang Wang; Jianhua Peng; Stefan T Gerner; Shigang Yin; Yong Jiang

doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113585

Gut microbiota-brain interaction: An emerging immunotherapy for traumatic brain injury

Exp Neurol. 2021 Mar:337:113585. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113585. Epub 2020 Dec 25.

Authors

Yuxuan Zhang¹, Zhaoyang Wang¹, Jianhua Peng², Stefan T Gerner³, Shigang Yin⁴, Yong Jiang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China.
² Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; Laboratory of Neurological Diseases and Brain Function, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China.
³ Department of Neurology, University Hospital Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen 91054, Germany.
⁴ Laboratory of Neurological Diseases and Brain Function, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; Academician (Expert) Workstation of Sichuan Province, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China. Electronic address: sgyin@swmu.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; Laboratory of Neurological Diseases and Brain Function, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; Sichuan Clinical Research Center for Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China; Academician (Expert) Workstation of Sichuan Province, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, China. Electronic address: jiangyong@swmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 33370556
DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2020.113585

Abstract

Individuals suffering from traumatic brain injury (TBI) often experience the activation of the immune system, resulting in declines in cognitive and neurological function after brain injury. Despite decades of efforts, approaches for clinically effective treatment are sparse. Evidence on the association between current therapeutic strategies and clinical outcomes after TBI is limited to poorly understood mechanisms. For decades, an increasing number of studies suggest that the gut-brain axis (GBA), a bidirectional communication system between the central nervous system (CNS) and the gastrointestinal tract, plays a critical role in systemic immune response following neurological diseases. In this review, we detail current knowledge of the immune pathologies of GBA after TBI. These processes may provide a new therapeutic target and rehabilitation strategy developed and used in clinical treatment of TBI patients.

Keywords: CNS; GBA; Immune response; Immunotherapy; TBI.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

Brain / physiology*
Brain Injuries, Traumatic / immunology*
Brain Injuries, Traumatic / therapy*
Gastrointestinal Microbiome / immunology*
Gastrointestinal Microbiome / physiology*
Humans
Immunotherapy / methods*