Notes:
- Faecalibacterium prausnitzii was named after the German bacteriologist Otto Prausnitz and was first described in 2002. - - - Since it does not survive contact with oxygen, it went undetected for a long time when trying to cultivate it. It is now well known, but many mechanisms are not yet fully understood.
- It became famous for the formation of short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate and acetate.
- In fact, F. prausnitzii is the strongest butyrate generator that we have in us.
- butyrat as an extremely important fatty acid has shown multiple anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting pro-inflammatory substances such as IL-8 and helping the immune system to differentiate from regulatory T cells. It also serves as an important source of energy for the cells of the intestinal wall.
- The bacterium is also used diagnostically as an indicator for the intestinal barrier. If the concentration is low and additional inflammation values such as zonulin and calprotectin are high, one speaks of leaky gut, the permeable intestinal barrier.
- A low F. prausnitzii concentration is associated with more inflammation in the intestine. This behavior was first linked to Crohn’s disease in 2008. The stronger the symptoms of the disease, the lower the frequency of F. prausnitzii and butyrate. One study showed that even in Crohn’s patients in remission (symptoms decreased, but no cure), the number of F. prausnitzii was reduced.
- A deficiency of F. prausnitzii can also lead to immune regulation disorders or metabolic diseases.
- F. prausnitzii can be supplied well with the fiber inulin which can be found in chicory, artichokes and onions.
- Within the gut microbiome, it is particularly well networked with the species A. muciniphila. itssubstrates are an important food source for F. prausnitzii. An assessment of one species is therefore always accompanied by an assessment of the other.
- F. prausnitziiis the largest producer of butyrate and the largest consumer of acetate and is the most important species inhabiting the intestine. Its depletion along with the reduction of Bifidobacterium (which is more reduced in patients with kidney stones) leads to a reduction in the intestinal butyrate levels, which thence leads to a functional instability in the gastrointestinal tract and urothelium thereby resulting in an inflammatory pattern. (1)
- F. prausnitziiis which is often diminished in patients with Crohn’s disease, appear to exert many of their protective effects through the release of a fatty acid called butyrate.
- F. prausnitziiis modulates immune system.
- F. prausnitziiis modulates is the indicator for leaky gut.
