Intestinal permeability, gut-bacterial dysbiosis, and behavioral markers of alcohol-dependence severity

• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1415174111
• Publication Date: 2014-10-07T02:54:30Z
• Authors: Sophie Leclercq; Sébastien Matamoros; Patrice D. Cani; Audrey M. Neyrinck; François Jamar; Peter Stärkel; Karen Windey; Valentina Tremaroli; Fredrik Bäckhed; Kristin Verbeke; Philippe de Timary; Nathalie M. Delzenne
• Keywords: Adult; Male; 0301 basic medicine; Depression; Biopsy; Microbiota; Anxiety; Middle Aged; Permeability; 3. Good health; Gastrointestinal Tract; Intestines; Affect; Alcoholism; Feces; Lactobacillus; 03 medical and health sciences; Liver; Metabolome; Dysbiosis; Humans; Female; Bifidobacterium

SignificanceAlcohol-dependent subjects frequently develop emotional symptoms that contribute to the persistence of alcohol drinking. These subjects are also characterized by gastrointestinal disturbances. In this study, we showed that alcohol-dependent subjects with altered intestinal permeability had also altered gut-microbiota composition and activity and remained with high scores of depression, anxiety, and alcohol craving after a short-term detoxification program. These results are consistent with the existence of a gut–brain axis in alcohol dependence, in which the gut microbiota could alter the gut-barrier function and influence behavior in alcohol dependence. Therefore, this study opens a previously unidentified field of research for the treatment and the management of alcohol dependence, targeting the gut microbiota.