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Volume 8 Journal of Gastrointestinal & Digestive System
ISSN: 2161-069X Gastro Congress 2018
August 20-21, 2018
August 20-21, 2018 | Rome, Italy
13th Euro-Global
Gastroenterology Conference
The influence of diet, bacteria and bacterial metabolites on epithelial cell responses in intestinal
inflammation and cancer
Silvia Melgar
APC Microbiome Ireland - University College Cork, Ireland
Westernized diet, defined by high contents of saturated fats and sucrose, is associated with the development of several
diseases including metabolic syndrome, obesity and cancer. Intestinal inflammatory responses are mediated by a
complex crosstalk between the environment, microbiota and the immune system. Alterations in any of these systems can
lead to development of gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Triggering factors for IBD
and colitis-associated cancer (CAC) include environmental factors (e.g. stress), gut microbiota composition and diet. Recent
reports indicate that a specific pathobiont outgrowth in IL-10-/- mice fed with a milk derived fat diet aggravated colitis.
Epidemiological data have also identified processed meats and saturated fat as risk factors for IBD and colon cancer. Prebiotics
are selectively fermentable ingredients that can change the composition and/or activity of the intestinal microbiota, which can
lead to beneficial effects on the host. Short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are the fermentation products of prebiotic digestion by
the colonic commensal microbiota, with the most abundant SCFAs being butyrate, acetate and propionate. SCFAs, especially
butyrate, act as source of energy for epithelial cells as well as being immune modulatory and helping dampening inflammation.
In this talk, I’ll discuss our findings emanating from in vitro and in vivo studies investigating the effect of diets, bacteria
and bacterial metabolites on intestinal epithelial cell responses and in experimental models of colitis and CAC. To date, we
have data showing that high fat diets can positively and negatively affect the outcome of colitis and CAC by regulating the
microbiota, microbial metabolites and host epithelial and immune responses. In addition, we have generated mechanistic
insights on the role of individual SCFAs and IBD-associated pathobionts such as adherent and invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC)
on intestinal epithelial cell responses.
Recent Publications:
1. Nilaweera KN et al. (2017)Whey protein-effects on energy balance link the intestinal mechanisms of energy absorption
with adiposity and hypothalamic neuropeptide gene expression. American Journal of Physiology Endocrinology and
Metabolism. 313(1):E1-E11.
2. Russell S E et al. (2016) IL-36α expression is elevated in ulcerative colitis and promotes colonic inflammation. Mucosal
Immunol. 9(5):1193-1204.
3. Yang S et al. (2013) Pellino3 ubiquitinates RIP2 and mediates NOD2-induced signaling and protective effects in colitis.
Nature Immunology. 14(9):927-936.
4. Hall L J et al. (2013) Natural killer cells protect mice from DSS-induced colitis by regulating neutrophil function via
the NKG2A receptor. Mucosal Immunology. 6(5):1016-1026.
5. McCarthy J et al. (2013) Gene silencing of TNF-α in anmurine colitis model using a modified amphiphilic cyclodextrin
delivery vector. Journal of Control Release. 168(1):28-34.
Biography
Silvia Melgar received her PhD in Immunology from Umeå University in Sweden, followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Senior Research Scientist position at
AstraZeneca R&D Mölndal, Sweden. She is currently anAPC Faculty Investigator under the Host - Microbe Dialogue Research theme in theAPC Microbiome Ireland
Research Institute of University College Cork (UCC), Ireland. She joined the APC in 2008 as a Principal Scientist under the GlaxoSmithKline-APC collaboration and
became an Investigator in 2012. Her research interests include 1) the identification of novel molecular mechanisms associated to diet - host - bacteria interactions
and their relevance to health and intestinal disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer; 2) identification and pre-clinical evaluation
of novel therapies for inflammatory and malignant conditions in the gastrointestinal tract in animal models and in in vitro cell systems.
Silvia Melgar, J Gastrointest Dig Syst 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2161-069X-C5-076