Probiotics modify human intestinal mucosa-associated microbiota in patients with colorectal cancerOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
This study tested how probiotic treatment changes the bacteria living on the intestinal lining in colorectal cancer patients. Researchers wanted to see whether probiotics could shift the mucosa-associated microbiota. They used pyrosequencing of the V3 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA genes to measure the density, diversity, and composition of mucosal microbes.
Who was studied?
The study examined intestinal mucosa-associated bacteria in patients with colorectal cancer, comparing cancerous tissue against healthy individuals. Some cancer patients received an interventional course of probiotics. This was a human study focused on the mucosal microbiota sampled from intestinal tissue rather than stool.
What were the most important findings?
The microbial structure of cancerous tissue differed significantly from that of healthy individuals, and cancer microbiota showed lower diversity. This confirmed a disturbed community in disease. Probiotic treatment increased both the density and diversity of mucosal microbes and altered the mucosa-associated community. Most notably, probiotics reduced the abundance of the genus Fusobacterium roughly fivefold. Fusobacterium had previously been implicated in promoting tumor growth.
What are the greatest implications of this study?
The findings suggest probiotics can partly rebalance the mucosal microbiota in colorectal cancer, raising diversity and cutting a tumor-linked pathogen. This offers a possible mechanism for the beneficial effects seen in animal studies. Reducing Fusobacterium at the mucosal surface is especially relevant, given its suspected role in tumorigenesis. The work supports further research into probiotics as a supportive strategy in colorectal cancer.