Καινοτομία

The mammalian gut has co-evolved with trillions of colonising bacteria. A European study worked to understand the impact of these bacteria on gut vascularisation and unravel the implicated mechanisms.

Studies on mice raised in germ-free conditions suggest an involvement of gut microbes in gut vascularisation. When these animals are placed back in a normal environment, extensive capillary formation is observed. This indicates that microbial infection switches on the expression of a pro-angiogenic gene repertoire in the intestinal mucosa.