Among mice with symptoms of Alzheimer's, researchers in China noticed a lower incidence of colorectal cancer than is typical.
The intestinal inflammation among these mice appeared to be suppressed.
When these mice were given a stool transplant from a healthy mouse, however, their rate of cancer in the colon and rectum returned to normal.
When mice were treated with Prevotella bacteria, the gut produced fewer pro-inflammatory immune cells, even when the mouse was exposed to dangerous pathogens.
The reduced inflammatory response probably occurred, in part, because the gut was 'leakier' than is typical, researchers explain, allowing certain microbial byproducts to enter circulation more easily.
When mice were treated with Prevotella-derived compounds, the animals showed cognitive dysfunction and resistance to tumor development in their rectum and colon.
Prevotella bivia, for example, produces high LPS concentrations. These may create a toxic environment that damages dopamine neurons, which play a role in cognitive function and motor function.
