Surprisingly, a recent study reveals that wiping out a person’s gut bacteria may help to improve heart function and reduce levels of cardiac damage following heart failure. Share on Pinterest Altering gut bacteria levels could help to protect the heart following heart failure. When the heart becomes compromised to such an extent that it can no longer pump enough blood around the body, it is known as heart failure. Currently, almost 6 million people in the United States are living with heart failure. Heart failure is serious, and around half of the people who develop it die within just 5 years. Obesity and diabetes are both risk factors for heart disease, and, as both of these conditions increase in prevalence, heart failure is likely to follow suit. Understanding how heart failure damages the heart and whether that damage can be prevented is important work. One scientist who is approaching this problem from a unique angle is Francisco J. Carrillo-Salinas, Ph.D., a postdoctoral scholar at Tufts University in Medford, MA.

Gut bacteria, T cells, and heart failure Carrillo-Salinas is interested in what role the immune system and gut bacteria play in recovery from heart failure. He explains the main thrust of his work: “Our lab studies how the gut talks to the heart through T cells. Given that the gut is the body’s largest reservoir of T cells and microbes, by modulating the microbiota, we could modulate T cell activation and [the] changes in the heart that lead to heart failure.” T cells are a type of white blood cell and play a pivotal role in the immune response. Our resident gut bacteria increase the production of T cells, creating a large stock of these immune cells in our intestines. He presented his most recent findings at the American Society for Investigative Pathology annual meeting, which formed part of the 2018 Experimental Biology meeting, held in San Diego, CA. His latest study builds on recent findings. For instance, inflammation — a hallmark of the immune response — is already known to play a significant role in heart disease. And, in earlier work, Carrillo-Salinas demonstrated that T cells enter the heart during heart failure. Also, other studies have shown that alterations in the microbiome can impact heart health. To study these relationships further, Carrillo-Salinas turned to a mouse model. Half of the mice had their gut microbes wiped out by a 5-week course of antibiotics and antifungals. Half of this group and half of the group that did not receive antibiotics underwent surgery to mimic the effects of heart failure in humans. Their consequent recovery was charted.