PR85245

GENEVA, August 27, 2020, /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/--

The importance of gut microbiota in reducing the burden of alcohol-related

liver disease and liver cancer has been demonstrated in a novel pilot study

presented at The Digital International Liver Congress(TM) 2020.

The study examined whether the transfer of fecal bacteria from a healthy

individual to a patient (FMT) could reduce cravings for alcohol as the first

step for use in subsequent larger trials.

In a pilot, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial, 20

patients with alcohol use disorder, who had tried several options to quit

alcohol unsuccessfully, were given FMT or placebo. FMT was shown to reduce

alcohol cravings as well as the total and psychosocial sickness impact profile

at Day 15 post-treatment. A corresponding significant increase in microbiota

diversity was also seen in FMT patients compared with baseline patients.

Imbalances in gut microbiota have been implicated as contributing to alcoholic

liver disease and this study raises the possibility of exploiting gut

microbiota management to improve patient outcomes.

In cases of chronic alcohol use, reactive oxygen species produced by alcohol

metabolism can lead to chronic intestinal inflammation, which can increase gut

permeability and alter microbiota composition. Increased gut permeability is

believed to lead to the relocation of gut bacterial DNA and endotoxins to the

liver. The latter are thought to induce inflammatory pathways associated with

the development of liver diseases, including cancer.

"FMT was safe and showed an impact on reducing short-term alcohol cravings and

improving psychosocial quality of life in patients with cirrhosis and alcohol

use disorder," commented ILC study presenter Dr Jasmohan Bajaj of McGuire VA

Medical Center, USA. "The relative abundance of short-chain fatty

acid-producing bacteria identified in patients with higher diversity after FMT

demonstrates that altering the gut–brain axis is a potential avenue to

alleviating alcohol use disorder in those with cirrhosis."

"The understanding of interactions between the human and microbiome genome in

health and disease has represented one of the major areas of progress in the

last few years," said Professor Luca Valenti, an EASL Scientific Committee

member from the University of Milan, Italy. "This study lays the groundwork for

exploiting this new knowledge in the treatment of liver disease."

For further information, references or expert interviews, please contact Sean

Deans on +44 (0)1444 811099 or sean@spinkhealth.com

SOURCE: The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL)