The administration of bacteria with probiotic activity in obese animal models can reduce inflammation and improve metabolic profiles, according to a study led by a team from the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili. The finding could open up a therapeutic avenue for the treatment of diseases such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.

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A study led by scientists at the Institut d’Investigació Sanitària Pere Virgili (IISPV)-CERCA (Reus Tarragona), could open a new therapeutic avenue for the treatment of inflammatory and metabolic diseases such as obesity or type 2 diabetes. The research indicates that the administration of specific bacteria, which act as probiotics, could reduce succinate levels in the blood and thus improve the health of people suffering from these diseases.

The work has been carried out in collaboration with institutions and companies in Spain, France and Italy and is published in the journal Microbiome.

Succinate is a multifunctional metabolite produced naturally by our body’s cells and gut bacteria, or microbiota. In metabolic and inflammatory diseases such as obesity and diabetes, where there is an alteration of the intestinal microbiota, the production levels of this metabolite are elevated, which is directly related to the inflammation characteristic of these types of patients.

Previous studies have shown that elevated levels of this metabolite in the blood are indicative of an increased risk of developing metabolic diseases. “In previous work, we showed that these patients had more succinate-producing and less succinate-consuming bacteria, but we had not been able to prove a direct causal relationship,” explains Sonia Fernández-Veledo, co-director of the research team at the IISPV. “In this research, using obese animal models, we demonstrate for the first time that the intestinal microbiota is the origin of elevated succinate levels in obesity and diabetes,” she adds.

Mechanism of action
“This new line of probiotics is based on the use of succinate-consuming bacteria, which would reduce inflammation and, consequently, improve glycaemic levels and insulin sensitivity, two aspects that are altered in people with diabetes,” continues the researcher.

According to data from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the incidence of obesity in the world’s population has tripled in the last 50 years. Obesity is the most important risk factor for the development of diabetes, as 80 % of people with diabetes are obese. For its part, the WHO considers diabetes to be the ninth leading cause of death in the world.

“While many of the probiotics on the market today are known to be beneficial, it is often not known how they actually work and therefore their effect cannot be objectively determined. Thanks to our study, we now know the mechanism of action of this new line of probiotics,” explains Isabel Huber, first author of the paper.

The aim of the research team is that these probiotics can be marketed in the future and help people with metabolic and inflammatory disorders to find a new avenue of treatment.

“The result of the activity of these bacteria is also easily measurable in the blood, which makes it possible to monitor their effectiveness in real-time,” adds the researcher.

The aim of the research team is that these probiotics can be marketed in the future and help people with metabolic and inflammatory disorders – obesity or diabetes, but also other diseases such as Crohn’s disease or non-alcoholic fatty liver disease – to find a new, more effective way to treat them.