2024-08-19 16:58:00
More than half of women in the world suffer from bacterial vaginosis (BV), an imbalance of the natural microbes in the female genital area. The condition can cause painful symptoms and vaginal discharge, and although it can be treated with antibiotics, it usually returns within a short period of time. If left untreated, BV can lead to pregnancy problems and an increased risk of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.
A group of researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; Ragon Institute of Mass General Brigham, MIT and Harvard; and St. Mary’s Children’s Research Hospital.
The human female genital tract is naturally colonized by microbial species of the genus Lactobacillus. Treating bacterial vaginosis with antibiotics can disturb the balance of lactobacilli and cause an excess of Lactobacillus iners, a type of bacteria that creates an environment more susceptible to the recurrence of bacterial vaginosis.
Scientists find ways to promote Lactobacillus crispatus, a species that creates a more stable microbiome than L. iners. However, they discovered an important clue even before starting the analysis. A portion of the culture medium used to grow lactobacilli in the lab interferes with the test kit, but the bacteria will not grow in culture without it. While solving the problem, they found that many lactobacilli need one ingredient in the medium (oleic acid) to thrive.
When they grew different strains of lactobacilli with oleic acid, they showed that oleic acid inhibited the growth of L. iners, harmful bacteria, and at the same time promoted the growth of strains associated with the microbiota healthy, such as L. crispatus.
Using RNA sequencing and working with the Broad Metabolomics Platform and partners at St.
One of these genes encodes the enzyme oleate hydratase, which the uLCFA researchers, a rare resource, has in a form that only bacteria with this enzyme can use. Another gene encodes a fatty acid pump that is necessary for bacteria to withstand high concentrations of oleic acid.
The team also modeled how oleic acid could affect the gut microbiome of BV patients by suppressing bacteria associated with BV including L. iners and L. crispatus. Oleic acid effectively inhibits the growth of L. iners, as well as many bacteria associated with BV, including some strains that are resistant to standard antibiotic treatment. This indicates that oleic acid may be an effective way to restore a stable and healthy microbiome in the female genital tract after BV.
Researchers are working to bring this research to clinical trials in humans. These findings, published in the journal cells, showed that oleic acid and many other long-chain fatty acids (uLCFAs), which are important components of cell membranes, can have antimicrobial properties, simultaneously inhibiting the growth of associated microbes deal with negative health effects and promote other species associated with obesity. female female
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