Microbiome and micronutrient in ALS: From novel mechanisms to new treatments.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disorder. Despite extensive studies, it remains challenging to treat ALS. Recent ALS studies have shown dysbiosis (e.g., loss of microbial diversity and beneficial function in the gut microbiota) is correlated with intestinal inflammation and change of intestinal integrity in ALS. The novel concepts and the roles of microbiome and microbial metabolites through the gut-microbiome-neuron axis in ALS pathogenesis have been slowly recognized by the neurology research field. Here, we will discuss the recent progress of microbiome, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, in the ALS research. We will discuss our understanding of microbial metabolites in ALS. Micronutrition refers to the intake of essential vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients. We will summarize the literation related to micronutrition and ALS. Furthermore, we will consider the mutual interactions of microbiome and micronutrition in the ALS progression and treatment. We further propose that the mechanistic and translational studies that shift from suspension of disbelief to cogent ingenuity, and from bench study to bed-side application, should allow new strategies of diagnosis and treatment for ALS.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Jun Sun reports financial support was provided by National Institutes of Health. Jun Sun reports financial support was provided by US Department of Veterans Affairs. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Published by Elsevier Inc.)