title: Microbes and Oxytocin: Benefits for Host Physiology and Behavior.
abstract: It is now understood that gut bacteria exert effects beyond the local boundaries of the gastrointestinal tract to include distant tissues and overall health. Prototype probiotic bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri has been found to upregulate hormone oxytocin and systemic immune responses to achieve a wide array of health benefits involving wound healing, mental health, metabolism, and myoskeletal maintenance. Together these display that the gut microbiome and host animal interact via immune-endocrine-brain signaling networks. Such findings provide novel therapeutic strategies to stimulate powerful homeostatic pathways and genetic programs, stemming from the coevolution of mammals and their microbiome.
authors: Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. Electronic address: serdman@mit.edu.
authors: S E
authors: SE
authors: Erdman
authors: Division of Comparative Medicine, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States; Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Poutahidis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D009765:Obesity / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D010121:Oxytocin
keywords: Behavior; Lactobacillus reuteri; Neuropsychiatric disorders; Obesity; Oxytocin; Probiotics