Common gut bacteria can enhance the effects of cocaine in mice, according to a report published recently in the journal Cell Host & Microbe. This study demonstrates how cocaine usage promotes the growth of gut bacteria, which in turn consume glycine, a chemical that contributes to normal brai
This photo represents Cuesta et al.’s demonstration that cocaine exposure increases norepinephrine in the gut facilitating γ-Proteobacteria colonization. This gut microbiota shift toward γ-Proteobacteria leads to a depletion of glycine from the host, which, in turn, facilitates cocaine-induced addiction-like behaviors in mice. Credit: Florencia Cerchiara
In addition, by supplementing glycine back systemically or using a genetically modified bacteria that cannot use glycine, the response of the mice to cocaine falls back to normal levels. This demonstrates that this simple amino“I was interested in the gut-brain axis, and I found it very new and exciting,” says first author Santiago Cuesta a neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
“The gut bacteria are consuming all of the glycine and the levels are decreasing systemically and in the brain,” says senior author Vanessa Sperandio, a microbiologist from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. “It seems changing glycine overall is impacting the glutamatergic synapses that make the animals more prone to develop addiction.”
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