Gut Health Magnifier: What We Know About Our Gut May Be Completely Wrong

Capscan, a non-invasive intestinal sampling device, provides new insights into gut microorganisms. The gut’s limited accessibility makes studying microbial distribution and activity challenging, despite its potential implications for disease progression. Researchers from UC Davis, Stanford, and Envivo Bio. published studies in Nature and Nature Metabolism on May 10th. They explained how Capscan creates a more accurate gut profile.

Past Sampling Techniques Do Not Reflect Actual Gut Environment

Due to the limitations of past sampling techniques, the actual gut condition has not been revealed. The majority of digestion occurs within the small intestine, yet the impact of the regional heterogeneity of the gut is often overlooked.

Stool sampling is the main method for investigating gut metabolism and the gut microbiome, but it only provides information regarding the lower colon, not the small intestine. As stated in the paper: “ we demonstrated that analysis of stool provides neither a complete nor an accurate representation of the longitudinal and temporal variability of the microbiota composition, virus activity, host proteome and bile acid contents within the intestines.”

Recent research has shown notable distinction in microbiota composition within segments of the intestines of deceased organ donors, even at scales of a few inches. However, it is important to note that these organ donors have typically received antibiotic treatments. Even in instances where the intestinal tract has been sampled immediately after discontinuation of life support, the gut often turns into dead tissues. While live individuals sampling requires participants to be in fasting and sedated states. 

Related article: Rob Knight and Jing-Yuan Fu Elaborate On Microbiome Research Trends at the 7th Asia Microbiome Conference (AMC) 

CapScan Opens New Era of Microbiome Research 

The Capscan device is designed with a polymer shell that makes it pH-sensitive. Consequently, the capsule’s coating enables researchers to modify dissolution with varying acidity as it travels through the small intestine. This manipulation, in turn, allows the investigation of biofluids and microorganisms in distinct small intestine regions.

In the study, 15 healthy participants provided 240 intestinal samples, revealing significant differences in the upper intestine and stool. Furthermore, nearly 2,000 metabolites were discovered, with connections to dietary patterns such as alcohol and fruit consumption.

Additionally, the research revealed interesting insights, including the distinct profile of bile acids conjugation by microbes, alterations in dietary and lipid compounds to the associated microbial taxa, and the potential to create baseline variation for healthy individuals. If a larger scale application is conducted, Capscan is anticipated to provide valuable insights into human metabolic pathways and the potential gut microbiome drug discovery for biopharmaceutical companies.

Author

Ting Chu