Harnessing the Power of Probiotics: Gut Bacteria Could Fight Off Mercury While Increasing Nutrient Absorption

A person's gastrointestinal system is composed of a complex collection of microorganisms, including a wide variety of bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Also known as microbiota, these microorganisms affect human health and help in various bodily functions, such as harvesting energy from food, regulating immunity, and protecting against pathogens.

Among the microbes that naturally reside inside the human gut, large families of bacteria play an essential role in a person's well-being. Just recently, a study on gut bacteria revealed an unusual function that they perform inside the human body.

Utilizing the Potential of Bacterial Genome

A research team from Pennsylvania State University analyzed thousands of genomes from the bacteria in the digestive tract. They focused on genetic determinants connected to the bacteria's ability to interact with metals. Many genes of these gut bacteria are known to be associated with metal resistance, but the experts focused on the genes that enable mercury absorption and removal from a person's gut.

Research leader Daniela Betancurt-Anzola and her team used the metagenomic sequencing method to understand how these genes function and affect their host. They obtained the microbes inside the gut of humans and mice and investigated their response to mercury absorption.

The insights from this study were used in harnessing a probiotic designed explicitly for detoxifying harmful mercury that is usually present in the human diet. This probiotic includes the genes of Bacillus megaterium bacterium inserted into the strains of lactic acid bacteria called Lacticaseibacillus.

Betancurt-Anzola claims that their probiotic can perfectly do its job because of its ability to survive the environment in the gut while having limited ability to colonize the body. Once inside the heart, it grabs the traces of methylmercury and carries them as it goes out.

As of now, the researchers focus on studying the interaction of gut microbes with mercury. In the future, they plan to investigate this behavior in other metals. They aim to develop a method of helping reduce the number of dangerous metals and promote the absorption of the elements the human body needs.

What is Methylmercury Poisoning?

Mercury, also known as quicksilver, is a heavy metal liquid at room temperature. Although mercury exists in various forms, its most poisonous compound is methylmercury which is formed when bacteria react with natural mercury in soil, water, or plants.

Exposure to mercury, even in small amounts, can lead to serious health problems. Mercury poisoning results when a person gets exposed to this compound by eating contaminated fish or shellfish or using products containing this substance. The World Health Organization considers mercury one of the top ten substances of major public health concern.

As a neurotoxin, methylmercury affects the nervous, immune, and digestive systems and can cause blindness, organ failure, and even death. Pregnant women are more vulnerable to mercury poisoning, and prenatal exposure can lead to seizures and brain damage.