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Volume 7, Issue 6 (Suppl)
J Gastrointest Dig Syst, an open access journal
ISSN: 2161-069X
Page 37
December 07-08, 2017 Madrid, Spain
&
13
th
International Conference on Clinical Gastroenterology & Hepatology
2
nd
International Conference on Digestive Diseases
CO-ORGANIZED EVENT
Translational study to understand the role of gut microbiome and gut-brain axis in modeling
neurological disorders to evaluate recent treatment options: Special reference to autism
T
ranslational medicine concentrates on the interface between experimental basic science on animal models of chronic
diseases and clinical medicine. It aims to “translate” knowledge and mechanisms clarified by basic research into new
approaches for early diagnosis and the treatment of different diseases. Translation in the reverse direction is also highly
pertinent, namely the translation of clinical observations into novel research and treatment strategies. The gastrointestinal
microbiota has been linked to several important neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and neurodevelopmental
disorders including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Exposures to environmental toxins are now thought to contribute to
the development of these diseases. Progress in understanding and treating brain diseases will require translational research
efforts to transfer knowledge through successive fields of research from basic scientific discovery to public health impact.
With special reference to autism, a developmentally abnormal gut microbiota may in turn affect both the gut-brain axis
and brain development and contribute to the etiology of this disorder. Propionic acid (PA) found as a metabolic product of
propionibacteria has been reported to mimic/ mediate the neurotoxic effects of autism. Results from animal studies may guide
investigations on human populations toward identifying environmental contaminants that produce or drugs that protect from
neurotoxicity. Propionic acid (PA) either orally administered or biologically induced in clindamycin or ampicillin-treated rat
pups will be used to induce persistent autistic features and to ascertain the role of overgrowth of propionic acid producing
bacteria in inducing autistic features in rodent models. In intoxicated rats, a panel of biomarkers were investigated and
compared to healthy untreated rat pups. These biomarkers were selected to measure DNA damage, glutamate excitotoxicity,
oxidative stress, neurochemistry, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuroinflammation as signaling pathways closely related
to brain diseases. The selection of these markers was based on our clinical data obtained from patients and recorded high
specificity and sensitivity when analyzed using Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) and excellent predictive values using
predictiveness curves. Modeling of neurological disorders in general, can help in testing the protective or therapeutic efficacy
of many selected supplements as beta lactam, bee pollen, prebiotic, probiotic, and other natural products as treatment options
that are effective in restoring the normal healthy gut microbiota.
Biography
Afaf El Ansary is a Biochemist, graduated from Biochemistry Department, Ain Shams University, Egypt in 1974. She worked in the National Research Centre, Egypt from
1976-2000, from 2001-2015. She works as a Teaching Staff Member in Biochemistry Department, King Saud University, KSA. Since 2016, she is working as Senior Scien-
tist in the central laboratory, KSU. She was recognized by the Marquis Who's Who in science and engineering, 8th edition, 2005-2006. She is Member in number of national
and international societies and she is recorded as reviewer and Editorial Board Member in many international journals. In recent years she focused on the screening of
biochemical markers related to autism with special attention to the role of gut-brain axis and she got more than 100 published papers in high impact factor journals related
to this research interest. She is Member in Predictive, Preventive and Personalized Medicine Society (Moscow).
elansary@ksu.edu.saAfaf El Ansary
King Saud University, Saudi Arabia
Afaf El Ansary, J Gastrointest Dig Syst 2017, 7:6(Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2161-069X-C1-057