Antibiotics May Help Curb Alzheimer's Symptoms

A study published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine demonstrated that an antibiotic compound affected the gut bacteria in mice to the degree that it retarded the growth and development of Alzheimer's in males, reports Medical News Today . The antibiotic mix was tested on the mouse model of Alzheimer's, called APPPS1-21, to see how it impacted the formation of amyloid plaques and the activation of microglia in the brain. Long-term antibiotic use was found to affect male and female mice gut microbiomes differently. Unlike males, changes in the females' microbiome affected the immune system, increasing production of factors that could boost microglia activation. The scientists then transplanted fecal matter from APPPS1-21 male mice that had not been given the antibiotics into those that had received the treatment. This was found to reestablish the gut microbiome, elevating amyloid plaque formation and microglia activation. "Our study shows that antibiotic-mediated perturbations of the gut microbiome have selective, sex-specific influences on amyloid plaque formation and microglial activity in the brain," said University of Chicago Professor Sangram S. Sisodia. "We now want to investigate whether these outcomes can be attributed to changes in any particular type of bacteria."