PROBIOTICS: A NEW APPROACH TO CORRECT INTESTINAL PERMEABILITY

这个子项目是众多研究子项目之一

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. It is well known that patients with cirrhosis have "leaky" intestinal walls or impaired intestinal permeability, allowing bacteria to easily cross from the intestine into the abdominal lymph nodes. This process can result in serious complications, such as peritoneal and blood infections, hepatic encephalopathy, kidney failure and worsening liver failure. Probiotics are live harmless bacteria that, when ingested, can proliferate in the intestine and reduce the number of harmful bacteria that cause these complications. Probiotics have been shown to improve intestinal permeability in other diseases and clinical measures of liver disease in patients with cirrhosis. We hypothesize that probiotics will also improve intestinal permeability in patients with cirrhosis and, in doing so, clinical and biochemical measures of liver disease. In order to test this hypothesis, we will compare changes in intestinal permeability, blood markers of inflammation, infection, and liver function, and neurocognitive function in cirrhotic patients given probiotics versus placebo for 45 days. A significant improvement in intestinal permeability after probiotic administration over placebo would set the stage for further study into the use of probiotics to prevent or treat these complications in patients with cirrhosis.