Discovering a new method to fight diabetes: Using 'bacterial traps' to lower blood sugar and protect the liver

DNVN - A group of Canadian scientists has just discovered an unexpected mechanism that could open up a new direction in the treatment of type 2 diabetes and fatty liver: blocking a harmful molecule produced by intestinal bacteria before it enters the bloodstream.

Scientists in Canada found that gut bacteria cause liver dysfunction, but blocking the process in the first place significantly improved metabolic health in mice. Source: Shutterstock

The study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, found that the molecule D-lactate, produced by gut bacteria, can enter the circulatory system and stimulate the liver to overproduce glucose and fat. The team from McMaster University, Laval University and the University of Ottawa successfully designed a method to keep the molecule in the gut, which significantly improved blood sugar regulation and reduced fatty liver in obese mice.

“This is a new twist on the classic metabolic pathway,” said lead author Jonathan Schertzer, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of California, Berkeley. “We’ve known for almost a century about the Cori cycle, where muscle and liver exchange lactate and glucose. What we’ve discovered is a new branch of this cycle, where gut bacteria are also involved in regulating metabolism.”

The Cori cycle was first demonstrated by Carl Ferdinand Cori and Gerty Theresa Cori in 1947, which earned them the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. According to this classic work, lactate produced by muscles provides energy for the liver to produce glucose, which is then returned to the muscles to maintain activity. However, new research has found that in addition to the familiar L-lactate, obese people and even obese mice also have high levels of D-lactate in their blood - a molecule derived from intestinal bacteria that causes a sharp increase in blood sugar and accumulation of liver fat.

To combat this, the team created a “gut matrix trap”—a safe, biodegradable polymer that binds and holds D-lactate in the gut, preventing it from being absorbed into the bloodstream. Tests on mice showed that those fed the “trap” had lower blood sugar levels, significantly reduced insulin resistance, and less inflammation and fibrosis in the liver, all without changing their diet or weight.

“This is a completely new approach to treating metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and fatty liver,” said Professor Schertzer, who is currently a member of the Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes Research (MODR) Centre, Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute at McMaster University, and holds the Canada Research Chair in Metabolic Inflammation. “Instead of targeting hormones or the liver directly, we block the bacterial fuel source at the outset, before it can cause harm.”

La Khe (According to SciTech Daily)

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