GI highlights from the literature

Basic ScienceEffect of laxatives on microbiota

Tropini C, Moss EL, Merrill BD, et al. Transient osmotic perturbation causes long-term alteration to the gut microbiota. Cell 2018; 173:1742-1754

Osmotic diarrhoea is a common medical condition, precipitated by food intolerance, gut malabsorptive conditions such as coeliac and pancreatic diseases, and the use of osmotic laxatives. Over-the-counter laxative use is prevalent in industrialised countries. Despite their widespread usage, there is little known about the impact of osmotic laxatives on the gut microbiota. This recent preclinical study showed that osmotic laxatives cause disruption to the gut microbiota of mice, including extinction of key taxa and some effects are long lasting. Their data suggest that the response of the microbiota to polyethanol glycol treatment is influenced by host-related factors such as colonic mucus loss and changes in immune system function, as well as host-independent microbial growth inhibition due to altered osmolality in...

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