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Updated: Dec 4, 2025

An In Vitro Batch-culture Model to Estimate the Effects of Interventional Regimens on Human Fecal Microbiota
Published on: July 31, 2019
The impact of intestinal microbiota on weight loss in Parkinson's disease patients: a pilot study
Federica Del Chierico1, Paola Grassini2, Andrea Quagliariello1
1Human Microbiome Research Unit, Genetics & Rare Diseases Research Division, Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, IRCCS, Rome, Italy.
Abstract:
Background: There is increasing evidence of the association between microbiome dysfunction and Parkinson's disease (PD). Moreover, some PD patients suffer from unintentional weight loss (WL) which may precede the motor manifestations of the disease. Materials & methods: Gut microbiota profiling by 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed in PD patients with an unintended WL, in steady weight patients (non-WL [NWL]) and in matched normal subjects. KEGG functional predictions were carried out. Results: Microbiota profiles revealed a dissimilarity between WL and NWL. Moreover, WL pathways were characterized by fatty acid biosynthesis, while NWL by inflammation pathways. Conclusion: The gut microbiota could participate in weight alteration observed in PD by the presence of bacteria involved in weight gain and inflammation, or conversely by bacteria implicated in energy expenditure.
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