April - June 2023, Volume 19, Issue 2

Micic D, Polovina S, Micic Du, Macut D

Obesity and Gut-Brain Axis

Acta Endo (Buc) 2023, 19 (2): 234-240
doi: 10.4183/aeb.2023.234

Epidemic of obesity is ongoing and did not slow down. Causes of obesity are numerous and very complex. Among them, the concept of bidirectional signaling within the brain-gut-microbiome axis was recently proposed as possible pathophysiological mechanism and become a hot topic in the explanations for the control of food intake. Discoveries of new anti-obesity drugs that are analogs for the receptors for some hormones derived from gastrointestinal tract contribute to the investigations in this area. The human gut microbiota plays a fundamental role in human health and disease and it is considered that it represent an endocrine organ that participate in energy homeostasis and host immunity. Role of gut microbiome has been investigated in metabolic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Gut microbiome participate in regulation of various mechanisms inside the gastrointestinal tract due to its production of different bacterial metabolites. In our manuscript we present current knowledge about microbiota in the gut; the relation between gut microbiota and brain; neuroendocrine system and gut-brain axis; immune system and gut-brain axis; endocrine system and gut-brain axis; the role of gut microbiota in obesity development and possible use of gut microbiota for the treatment of obesity.

Keywords: obesity, gut microbiota, gut-brain axis, vagus nerve, enteroendocrine cells.

Correspondence: Djuro Macut MD, PhD, University of Belgrade Faculty of Medicine, Clinic for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases, Dr Subotica 13, Beograd, 11000, Serbia, E-mail: djmacut@gmail.com