Gut Microbiota Modulation to Mitigate Stress-Induced Functional Changes

The gut microbiota is a complex community of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses and its activity and interaction with the host plays an important role in host health. Via its metabolism, the gut microbiome provides the host with beneficial metabolites, including vitamins, fatty acids, and precursors of neurotransmitters, with recent research indicating a role for the gut microbiota as a mediator of stress responses. An established microbiome is relatively stable but can be vulnerable to rapid changes in direct and indirect stimuli including host response to psychologically stressful conditions. These stressors can cause imbalance in microbiome composition leading to gut dysbiosis, a state characterized by altered host immune function, energy metabolism and intestinal epithelial cell damage resulting in increased intestinal and systemic inflammation. Gut dysbiosis has been linked to multiple disease conditions including psychological conditions.

Gut microbial modulation refers to the manipulation and optimization of the gut microbial community to positively impact overall health and well-being. Examples of interventions include oral supplementation and fecal transplantation which have been shown to yield beneficial local and systemic effects. Desired outcomes can include improved digestion and nutrient absorption, enhanced immune system function, and beneficial effects on mental health. A growing area of interest is the development of strategies for microbiota modulation as preventative and therapeutic approaches to conditions associated with physiological and psychologically induced stress. To achieve these goals, it is important that we fully dissect the role of gut microbiota in these conditions. This can be accomplished by using in vitro, pre-clinical, or clinical models and is enhanced by application of current technologies of microbiome and metabolome sequencing to establish functional linkages between the gut microbiome composition, metabolite production, and their effects on the host.

This Research Topic provides a platform for researchers to share their findings toward advancing our understanding of the intricate relationship between gut microbiota and host under stressful conditions. It would also foster the development of novel therapeutic strategies to promote gut health and to prevent and treat a wide range of diseases. As the gut microbiome can alternately mitigate the effects of stress and is itself affected by stress, this topic can broadly include work on the following topics in the context of induced stress:

• Gut microbial composition and function
• Gut-brain axis
• Gut microbiome and immune system
• Diet and gut microbiome
• Therapeutic interventions
• Microbial dysbiosis under stressful conditions
• Fecal microbiota transplantation
• Gut microbiome and metabolism
• Personalized medicine and gut microbiome
• Animal models
• In vitro studies
• Clinical studies
• Computational approaches