Role of the Gut Microbiome in Hypertension

Aug 24, 2023

Role of the Gut Microbiome in Hypertension

Nicola Wilck, MD, Bina Joe, PhD, and Blair Mell discuss emerging research into the role of the gut microbiome in hypertension that they presented at Hypertension 2015 in Washington, DC.

Content

2.165 -> Hello my name is Nicola Wilck. I'm from Berlin, Germany

6.647 -> and next to me are Professor Bina Joe and Ms. Blair Mell

11.477 -> from the University of Toledo, Ohio.

15.222 -> They will be presenting on the role

17.258 -> of the gut microbiome in hypertension tomorrow.

20.979 -> This is an exciting field of new research.

24.819 -> So, the gut microbiome and cardiovascular disease.

29.054 -> How do these two worlds go together?

31.47 -> - Yeah, that's a nice question.

33.323 -> In fact, a well-timed question.

35.823 -> If you look at all the research that has gone on

38.296 -> in the genomics world

40.599 -> we have been restricted to the

42.629 -> whole genome of the host,

44.562 -> and we haven't really looked at another complete genome

46.782 -> that resides within us, which is the microbiome.

50.964 -> And these are the exciting times to look forward to

53.552 -> a lot of research in the area of the gut microbiome

56.742 -> and how it influences hypertension, in particular,

59.587 -> which is the question we are asking in the lab.

61.445 -> And I'm sure in the next few years to come

64.603 -> this is just gonna build up heavily.

67.169 -> There are only very few labs working on it now

69.469 -> and all of the labs that are involved,

71.964 -> most of the labs that are involved,

74.45 -> are going to be at this meeting, which is exciting.

76.98 -> The current concept is that

78.372 -> we don't really know for sure that the microbiome influences hypertension.

85.582 -> That is what we have learned

87.162 -> and we're going to be talking about tomorrow.

88.403 -> But what goes from that point is the mechanisms of it.

91.886 -> How is it doing it?

93.563 -> How is it influencing the host genome?

96.473 -> Are they crosstalking? Are they independent?

98.109 -> And it comes to in the context of salt, for example,

102.126 -> how do enviromental factors play a role in this process?

106.026 -> Blair has discovered that what we find

110.345 -> in our animals is salt-sensitive phenomenon

114.465 -> which she's going to talk about.

115.465 -> Do you want to talk about it a little bit today?

117.636 -> - Yes, so our study of uses the Dawl rat model.

122.094 -> Which the S and R rat, the S rat being salt-sensitive

127.318 -> and the R rat being salt-resistant.

132.138 -> We see many genetic variants between these two

135.994 -> even though they were both generated

139.465 -> from the Sprague Dawley rat

141.407 -> there are many genetic variants.

143.747 -> Also their gut microbiota is very different between the two.

149.284 -> - So the diseased microbiome is different.

153.254 -> So, what is your opinion?

155.649 -> Is the host shaping the microbiome

158.839 -> or is it other environmental factors?

162.914 -> - The predominant factor we are after is the host genome.

165.978 -> Because the same genome,

167.85 -> the S rat which is a salt-sensitive, hypertensive animal.

171.47 -> It behaves differently when it's given microbiota

174.495 -> from the salt-resistant animal.

176.555 -> So when we put that in, blood pressure goes up.

180.205 -> Which is very intriguing for why would it go up.

184.009 -> And the composition of the microbiota

186.457 -> is something very, very important to look at.

188.686 -> Technologically, we might be limited at this point

191.914 -> to have a view into all the specific species of bacteria

197.208 -> that are in there that are causing

199.274 -> all of the effects that we observed.

201.602 -> So, in years to come I would anticipate

203.982 -> the research to be taken away from

206.078 -> just the firmicutes or bacteroidetes or certain classes

210.071 -> into very unique type of bacteria that are causing

214.158 -> these phenotypes that we observe.

216.816 -> If you look at it for a therapeutic interest

220.165 -> for where we would go into humans with this.

223.306 -> The field is exciting for where it could go.

225.69 -> It would be simple interventions at the dietary level

228.414 -> with yogurt, with certain strains of bacteria

232.99 -> that may help with preventing the progression

236.727 -> of the hypertension or even decreasing the susceptibility

240.953 -> over the genetic susceptibility they have.

242.95 -> So those are some ideas which are really

246.028 -> in its infancy at this time.

247.592 -> But eventually I see this coming on as a big team.

251.517 -> As you saw today the director of the NHLBI

255.488 -> making an impact of this point in his presentation

258.763 -> that the microbiome, in addition to the genetics,

262.523 -> could play a major role in contributing

265.845 -> to the genesis of hypertension.

267.283 -> - So, hypertension specialists should care

270.418 -> about the microbiome in anti-hypertensives therapy.

273.831 -> Is that your point?

274.76 -> - Absolutely, but for them to care deeply about it

277.803 -> we need more research to be done very carefully.

280.031 -> We are at the front engine part of this

283.691 -> with tools and techniques available

287.294 -> at our disposal to study this.

289.886 -> The gut neural connections are being investigated.

292.386 -> The interstenal lodes are being investigated.

295.268 -> Some of these are being presented tomorrow.

297.385 -> And, I think the dynamics of this,

300.167 -> the scope of this, is just beginning to unfold.

303.204 -> - [Nicola] Yes.

304.157 -> And, clinicians will eventually have access to actual

309.381 -> mechanistic knowledge of how this operates

311.145 -> and be careful in using it in their practice.

315.604 -> And that's way down the lane, if I can say so.

318.598 -> I know you are presenting some work tomorrow.

321.71 -> Could you enlighten us a little bit

322.987 -> on what you are going to talk about?

324.195 -> - I'm going to talk about the role of

327.446 -> short-chain fatty acids in cardiac and organ damage.

333.251 -> So, you mentioned the causative mechanisms.

338.335 -> So description of diseased microbiomes is one thing

342.143 -> but identification of causitive mechanisms

346.508 -> and one way microbiota communicate with the host

350.06 -> is by means of the metabolized which are absorbed.

353.404 -> And which have an impact on host inflammation

358.722 -> and maybe blood pressure.

361.064 -> So there are loads of metabolites to be discovered

365.854 -> and short-chain fatty acids are one of them.

369.491 -> - Right, we have found

371.131 -> that to be the case in our model as well.

373.851 -> And I shouldn't fail to mention Dr. Pluznik's group

376.809 -> was one of the first ones that did elude to this point

379.781 -> with their g-protien coupled receptor research

383.288 -> that short-chain fatty acids could indeed be

386.515 -> modulators and their receptors could be coming in

389.093 -> from the host geneome prospective.

391.394 -> In our model we have variants of many other g-protein

394.154 -> coupled receptors that are fantastic targets to look at

398.776 -> whether they are cross-talking.

400.644 -> Again, even with doing all of this,

403.327 -> I think we are very small in our mechanistic approach.

407.285 -> Don't you agree?

408.285 -> - [Niklovic] I agree.

408.83 -> - Yeah, there appears to be much more

411.5 -> that we need to dwell into

413.264 -> for renal influence of from the gut

417.769 -> and then signaling from the gut to various

419.928 -> other organs that are implicated

422.192 -> in blood pressure regulation.

423.192 -> Right? Overall, we are very excited to take this head-on

426.476 -> and move forward in this area of research

428.915 -> which will one day hopefully there'll be

432.508 -> a nice, magic pill that we haven't, you know,

436.774 -> thought about at this time.

437.774 -> But this could be the beginnings of going there with it

440.919 -> in terms of targeted dietary

444.664 -> bacterial load into hypertensives

449.314 -> to be provided in addition to the DASH diet.

451.461 -> - Wonderful, thank you very much for the interview.

453.967 -> All the best for your presentation tomorrow.

456.778 -> - [Bina] To you too, thank you very much.

459.308 -> - [Blair] Thanks.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT-bOItyVx4