Pamukkale University Develops Project for MS Disease

Lecturer Dr. Özden Özgün Acar, who works at Pamukkale University's Plant Genetics and Agricultural Biotechnology Application and Research Center, is leading the project "Evaluation of the Therapeutic Efficacy of Novel Liquorilactobacillus nagelii AGA58 Probiotic in Multiple Sclerosis Treatment in Terms of Microbiome and Related Metabolomic Changes and the Pentose Phosphate Pathway." This project will be pioneering in developing diagnostic and therapeutic agents for MS disease. Lecturer Özden Özgün Acar's project titled "Evaluation of the Therapeutic Efficacy of Novel Liquorilactobacillus nagelii AGA58 Probiotic in Multiple Sclerosis Treatment in Terms of Microbiome and Related Metabolomic Changes and the Pentose Phosphate Pathway" will receive support under the TÜBİTAK ARDEB 1001 Scientific and Technological Research Projects Support Program. The project contains pioneering work in developing a new diagnostic and therapeutic agent for MS disease. Lecturer Özden Özgün Acar made statements on the subject.

Project Conducted by PAU Will Develop Diagnostic and Therapeutic Agents for MS Disease

Young scientist Lecturer Dr. Özden Özgün Acar, who works at Pamukkale University (PAU) Plant Genetics and Agricultural Biotechnology Application and Research Center, is leading the project "Evaluation of the Therapeutic Efficacy of Novel Liquorilactobacillus nagelii AGA58 Probiotic in Multiple Sclerosis Treatment in Terms of Microbiome and Related Metabolomic Changes and the Pentose Phosphate Pathway," which contains new research in MS disease treatment. In the project, Prof. Dr. Alaattin Şen, a faculty member of PAU Biology Department and Dean of Abdullah Gül University Faculty of Life and Natural Sciences, serves as advisor, and Dr. Fatih Ortakcı and Lecturer Hüseyin Güner, faculty members of Abdullah Gül University Bioengineering Department, serve as researchers. The project has been approved for support under the TÜBİTAK ARDEB 1001 Scientific and Technological Research Projects Support Program.

Emerging as an Immune-Mediated Disease

Lecturer Dr. Özden Acar provided information regarding the project. Acar stated: "Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the common neurological diseases in the world. Although the etiology of MS is not yet fully understood, it presents itself as a complex, immune-mediated disease in which genetic and environmental interactions play a joint role. In addition to genetic and environmental factors, the gut microbiome, which modulates the gut-central nervous system axis and is another factor receiving considerable attention in recent years, contributes to MS pathogenesis. It is estimated that the inner surface area of the gastrointestinal system in humans harbors more than 100 trillion microbial cells with more than 1,000 bacterial species diversity that affect human physiology, metabolism, nutrition, and immune function. Recent animal and preclinical studies have demonstrated that the gut microbiota modulates the microbiome-gut-brain triangle through endocrine, immune, nervous, and metabolic signals in humans. Additionally, there is evidence that the microbiota plays a role in the synthesis of neuroactive molecules and metabolites that can modulate the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Multiple Sclerosis," she said. Lecturer Acar added: "Probiotics are live microorganisms that, when consumed or applied, aim to provide health benefits to individuals by correcting disrupted gut microbiota. Studies have shown that probiotic supplementation regulates immune responses and inflammatory processes in neuroinflammatory diseases such as type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and MS."

Pioneering Studies Will Be Conducted

Acar noted that in the COVID-19 disease declared a global pandemic worldwide, disrupted gut microbiota balance is also discussed, and there are sources indicating that probiotic supplementation and treatment reduce the severity of the disease. Acar stated: "Starting from this point, considering that current MS treatments do not yield fully positive results, the MS microbiota relationship that has emerged in recent years, and the metabolomic approaches proposed in disease treatment, the therapeutic efficacy of Liquorilactobacillus nagelii AGA58 probiotic, a novel domestic probiotic strain first isolated from turnip juice, will be studied comparatively with dimethyl fumarate (DMF), a drug used in MS treatment, in mice with MS model created. To reiterate, the goal of this project is to conduct pioneering work in developing a new diagnostic and therapeutic agent for MS by determining the MS relationship of the probiotic's therapeutic or prophylactic effect through the pentose phosphate pathway, which is considered the brain of metabolism, and related metabolomic changes," she concluded.