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Updated: Jul 19, 2025

Therapeutic Evaluation of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in an Interleukin 10-Deficient Mouse Model
Published on: April 6, 2022
Washed microbiota transplantation targeting both gastrointestinal and extraintestinal symptoms in patients with
Zulun Zhang1, Qianqian Li1, Sheng Zhang1
1Department of Microbiota Medicine & Medical Centre for Digestive Diseases, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 121 Jiang Jia Yuan, Nanjing 210011, China; Key Lab of Holistic Integrative Enterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 121 Jiang Jia Yuan, Nanjing 210011, China.
Objective:
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been reported with the treatment potential for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). However, the knowledge of its effect on extraintestinal symptoms of IBS is limited. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the improved methodology of FMT, washed microbiota transplantation (WMT), on sleep disturbances, and psychological and gastrointestinal symptoms among patients with IBS.
Methods:
This was a prospective observational study involving patients with IBS who underwent WMT. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess sleep quality. The Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and IBS Severity Scoring System (IBS-SSS) were used to evaluate gastrointestinal symptoms and IBS severity, respectively. The Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were used to evaluate depression and anxiety, respectively. All the symptoms were evaluated at baseline and one month after WMT. A multiple logistic regression model was used to determine the predictive factors of sleep improvement one month after WMT.
Results:
Seventy-three patients with IBS were included in the study. Sleep quality (Z = -4.211, P < 0.001), anxiety (Z = -4.775, P < 0.001), depression (Z = -4.610, P < 0.001), gastrointestinal symptoms (Z = -5.364, P < 0.001), and IBS severity (Z = -6.468, P < 0.001) significantly improved one month after WMT in all patients. The scores of the five components of PSQI including subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, and sleep disturbances decreased in 52 patients with poor sleep quality (all P < 0.05). Baseline sleep duration scores were identified as an independent predictive factor of sleep improvement one month after WMT in patients with poor sleep quality (OR 2.180 [95% CI = 1.017-4.673]; P = 0.045). Patients that experienced sleep improvement demonstrated greater alleviation in depression (Z = -1.990, P = 0.047) and IBS severity (Z = -2.486, P = 0.013) compared with patients without sleep improvement.
Conclusion:
This study suggested that WMT might be a promising therapy for patients with IBS, especially those with comorbid sleep and psychological disorders.
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