Small talk: microbial metabolites involved in the signaling from microbiota to brain.

Author: Caspani G1, Swann J2
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup>Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK. <sup>2</sup>Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK. Electronic address: j.swann@imperial.ac.uk.
Conference/Journal: Curr Opin Pharmacol.
Date published: 2019 Sep 13
Other: Volume ID: 48 , Pages: 99-106 , Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.coph.2019.08.001. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 119


The wealth of biotransformational capabilities encoded in the microbiome expose the host to an array of bioactive xenobiotic products. Several of these metabolites participate in the communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system and have potential to modulate central physiological and pathological processes. This biochemical interplay can occur through various direct and indirect mechanisms. These include binding to host receptors in the brain, stimulation of the vagus nerve in the gut, alteration of central neurotransmission, and modulation of neuroinflammation. Here, the potential for short chain fatty acids, bile acids, neurotransmitters and other bioactive products of the microbiome to participate in the gut-brain axis will be reviewed.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PMID: 31525562 DOI: 10.1016/j.coph.2019.08.001