Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is one of the most important bacteria in the human gut flora and makes up to 5-10% of the total number of bacteria detected in stool samples from healthy humans. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii has a crucial role in maintaining gut physiology and host wellbeing.
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii monitoring may serve as a biomarker to assist in gut diseases diagnostics.
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii has been consistently reported as one of the main butyrate producers found in the intestine. Butyrate has a crucial role in gut physiology and host wellbeing. It is the main energy source for the colonocytes and it has protective properties against colorectal cancer (CRC) and inflammatory bowel diseases.
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii serves as energy sources for the colonocytes and have anti-inflammatory effects and maintain the activity of bacterial enzymes and protects the digestive system against intestinal pathogens.
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii has various anti-inflammatory properties [L]
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii has also been shown to reduce the severity of inflammation [L]
- There seems to be a possible protective benefit of F. prausnitzii against the development of IBD. [L]
Lower levels:
Various studies have shown that Faecalibacterium prausnitzii abundance is reduced in different intestinal disorders.
- Changes in the number of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii are an indication for dysbiosis in the human gut flora.
- A significant reduction of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is detected by patients with diabetes and chronic inflammatory intestinal disorders (Morbus Crohn, Colitis ulcerosa, IBS). For the latter case, the intestinal barrier is disrupted or rather the intestinal wall gets more permeable. This leads to an unregulated mass exchange and causes diarrheal diseases and inflammatory reactions.
Potential treatment:
- The underlying root cause for the decreased number of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii has to be determined and addressed. Merely trying to increase Faecalibacterium prausnitzii might just be addressing one symptom of a much larger issue (IBS for example).
- A study has shown that consuming kiwifruit capsules might be able to increases Faecalibacterium prausnitzii abundance [L].
References:
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii: from microbiology to diagnostics and prognostics [L]
- Action and function of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii in health and disease [L]
- Association between Faecalibacterium prausnitzii Reduction and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review of the Literature [L]
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii is an anti-inflammatory commensal bacterium identified by gut microbiota analysis of Crohn disease patients [L]
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