Grant: Project Grant

Gastrointestinal resections are surgical procedures where a part of the bowel is surgically resected and reconnected. These procedures are common in several pathologies, especially in colorectal cancer. In some patients, the reconnection site, or "anastomosis", may not heal properly and leak, a major complication called anastomotic leak (AL). Despite major efforts in the last decades to prevent AL, this complication still occurs in many patients, and continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality in colorectal surgery. Some recent evidence has suggested the gut microbiota, or the collection of bacteria in the gut, may influence healing and cause, or prevent, AL. We propose to investigate which bacterial species may be associated with anastomotic healing by conducting animal experiments where microbiota transplant is performed in mice undergoing colonic surgery. We will also test microbiota-targeted interventions to improve anastomotic healing and prevent AL. These interventions will include prebiotics, namely the fiber inulin, and the probiotic Akkermansia muciniphila. We propose to evaluate by which mechanisms these interventions may improve colonic recovery after surgery. This project aims at characterizing how the gut microbiota may be associated with intestinal healing after surgery, and at assessing how the proposed nutritional interventions may enhance recovery and prevent leakage. The findings that this proposal may lead to will improve surgical care and pave the way toward clinical interventions that may greatly improve patients quality of life.