In a landmark study published in Science Advances, researchers from Bar-Ilan University have uncovered critical insights into how antibiotic use increases the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
The study demonstrates that antibiotics disrupt the protective mucus layer in the intestine, which plays a vital role in shielding the immune system from harmful bacteria in the gut. This breakthrough could reshape our understanding of the relationship between antibiotic use and IBD development.
Inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, affects approximately one percent of the global population and is marked by the breakdown of the mucosal layer that acts as a barrier between the gut microbiome and the immune system. While the exact causes of IBD remain unclear, previous studies have suggested a link between antibiotic use and an increased risk of developing the disease.
“We have discovered that antibiotic use actually damages the protective mucus layer that separates the immune system in the gut from the microbiome,” said Shai Bel, PhD, of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine at Bar-Ilan University. The study found that antibiotics, whether administered orally or via injection, interfere with mucus secretion, facilitating bacterial penetration into the gut lining and increasing the likelihood of inflammation—a hallmark of IBD.
The researchers used advanced techniques such as RNA sequencing, machine learning, and measurements of mucus secretion in mice models to examine the effects of antibiotics. Their findings showed that antibiotics reduce the production of protective mucus, leading to bacterial infiltration, systemic bacterial antigen replication, and the development of ulcers. Importantly, this damage was not caused by changes in the microbiome but by the direct impact of antibiotics on the intestinal cells responsible for mucus production.
“This finding shatters the paradigm that antibiotics harm only bacteria and not our own cells,” Bel explained.
The study’s results suggest that antibiotic use may increase susceptibility to IBD by weakening the mucus barrier in the colon, allowing harmful bacteria to penetrate and trigger inflammation. This groundbreaking research underscores the need for more careful consideration of antibiotic use, especially in individuals at risk of developing inflammatory bowel diseases.
Moving forward, Bel and his team plan to explore potential treatments that could counteract the negative effects of antibiotics on mucus secretion, with the goal of protecting the integrity of the gut’s protective barrier.
