Researchers report that chronically stressed mice exhibited an increase in inflammation-promoting bacteria among gut microbiota, a weakening of the colonic mucus barrier, and reduced expression of antimicrobial peptides in the gut, compared with unstressed mice; stress also led to increased severity of induced colitis and an increased immune response compared with unstressed mice, suggesting that stress-induced disruption of gut microbiota can promote inflammatory bowel disease.
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Article #17-20696: "Chronic stress promotes colitis by disturbing the gut microbiota and triggering immune system response," by Xinghua Gao et al.
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences