Researchers discover compounds produced by gut bacteria that can treat inflammation (Diindolylmethane (DIM), from broccoli)

Medical Xpress / University of Toronto / Nature Communications ^ | May 3, 2024 | Jiabao Liu et al

[ConservativeMind]

Researchers have found naturally occurring compounds in the gut that can be harnessed to reduce inflammation and other symptoms of digestive issues. This can be achieved by binding the compounds to an important, but poorly understood, nuclear receptor.

Said Jiabao Liu, "We found that these molecules act similarly to artificial compounds that are currently being used to regulate the constitutive androstane receptor, otherwise known as CAR."

CAR plays a critical role in regulating the breakdown, uptake and removal of foreign substances in the liver, including drugs. It is also involved in intestinal inflammation.

"One of the challenges with studying CAR is that there isn't a useful compound that binds to both the human and mouse versions of the receptor," said Henry Krause. "Prior efforts focused on developing molecules with strong binding and activation capability. This has resulted in synthetic regulators that over-activate the receptor, which can lead to unintended outcomes. The natural compounds that we discovered don't cause this issue."

Two of the compounds found in the metabolite screen were diindolylmethane (DIM) and diindolylethane (DIE).

The two compounds regulated CAR in both the human and mouse liver. They were also found to match the effectiveness of an artificial human CAR regulator called CITCO.

A promising finding for future research on CAR regulation was that neither compound produced side effects, like liver enlargement, in mice. This means that DIM and DIE can be used to study CAR function and regulation in mice, where the findings can be applied to humans.

"This receptor plays a role in diabetes, fatty liver disease and small intestine ulcerative colitis," said Liu. "We could potentially treat all of these issues with the two natural compounds we found that already exist in the human gut."

[ConservativeMind]

DIM is currently available as a supplement, or naturally, in broccoli.

Eat your broccoli and drink the leftover water, of which some of its benefits, went, when cooking.

[ConservativeMind]

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[Laslo Fripp]

Paging George H. W. Bush…

[FreeReign]

Researchers discover compounds produced by gut bacteria that can treat inflammation (Diindolylmethane (DIM), from broccoli)

Hmmm. Broccoli doesn't help me it gives me GERD.

[TribalPrincess2U]

Gas here.

[Bigg Red]

Thanks.

[Bigg Red]

Thanks.

Does that apply when the broccoli has been steamed?

[Rainbow Rising]

Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. Looks like I have an excuse to cook it more often!

[AppyPappy]

Cooking? Who cooks broccoli? It comes ready to eat

[ConservativeMind]

Yes.

[Bigg Red]

Okay, thank you.

[FreeReign]

I believe GERD can be a liquid, solid or gas.

For me it's gas.

[TribalPrincess2U]

I didn’t know that. A relative has been throwing up foam after eating, maybe too much or too fast or both, but foam? That’s all I know about it.

[ptsal]

bkmk