|
Manipulating gut microbiota in germ-free and antibiotic-treated animal models in research with therapeutic goals: advantages and disadvantages
|
Fatemeh Aghighi   , Mahmoud Salami , Sayyed Alireza Talaei |
|
|
|
Abstract: (273 Views) |
Introduction: The gut microbiota (GM), as a forgotten organ", refers to a microbial community that resides in the gastrointestinal tract and plays a critical role in a variety of physiological activities in different body organs. The GM affects its targets through neurological, metabolic, immune, and endocrine pathways. The GM is a dynamic system in which exogenous and endogenous factors have a negative or positive effect on its density and composition. Laboratory animals are known as the only model systems for preclinical research, however, each model has its own limitations. Since the establishment of the first animals in the mid-twentieth century, until recently, various methods have been developed to produce these research models in different animals. Methodologically, two main models have been used so far to explore the effects of microbiota on physiology and disease in animals. Germ-free (GF) models and antibiotic-induced intestinal dysbiosis. Both methods have strengths and weaknesses. However, recent advanced approaches have also simplified the current understanding of these complex interactions. In many fields of host-microbe interaction research, GF animal models are known as appropriate experimental subjects. The use of GF animals enables the direct assessment of the role of the microbiota in all features of physiology. The animal, mainly mice, models present a biological model system to either study outcomes of the absence of microbes or to verify the effects of colonization with specific and known microbial species.
|
|
| Keywords: Antibiotic–treated, animal model, Germ-free animal model, Gut microbiota |
|
|
Full-Text [PDF 313 kb]
(43 Downloads)
|
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
General
Received: 2023/12/30 | Accepted: 2023/08/23 | Published: 2023/08/23
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Send email to the article author |
|
|
|
| Add your comments about this article |
|
|
|
