Targeting the Gut Microbiome to Treat Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis
Abstract
Over the past decade, the medical community has become increasingly aware that bacteria living in the intestinal tract are important contributors to health and the development of various diseases. Recently, our labs have demonstrated that shifts in the types of bacteria living in our gut are associated with the initiation of osteoarthritis, and correction of these changes by supplementing one’s diet with sugars that only certain bacteria will eat is remarkably protective. This concept has now been expanded to include proteins, particularly a very specific protein called hydrolyzed type 1 collagen (hCol1). We have published that daily consumption of a small amount of this protein is protective in trauma-induced osteoarthritis in mice, and now we have discovered that those protective effects are associated with significant shifts in the types of bacteria thriving in the guts of supplemented mice. Based on this, we have assembled this application to accomplish two central goals: (1) To establish, for the first time, that alterations in gut bacteria found in mice and humans with trauma-induced osteoarthritis are not just associated with, but contribute to, the disease process. (2) To execute experiments in mice to establish that the protective effects of hCol1 are dependent on alterations in gut bacteria, and to test the efficacy of a novel combination therapy for post-traumatic osteoarthritis involving simultaneous supplementation with hCol1 along with the key bacteria that it supports. Completion of this work will implicate changes in specific types of gut bacteria as causative in post-traumatic osteoarthritis. It will also set the stage for near-term human testing of hCol1 in combination with some key beneficial bacteria as potential disease-modifiers in post-traumatic osteoarthritis.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 19, 2019
- Source ID
- W81XWH1910807
Entities
People
- Michael Zuscik
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Colorado Denver