Vaginal microbiome research uncovers new findings for women’s health
October 24, 2024—A certain type of bacteria, when located in the vaginal microbiome, may be helpful in protecting against or treating common and potentially serious infections, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
The bacteria—a subtype of lactobacilli—produces a family of chemicals with anti-inflammatory properties, the study found.
The study was published Oct. 17 in Cell Host & Microbe. Smita Gopinath, assistant professor of immunology and infectious diseases, led the study alongside graduate and postdoctoral researchers in her lab.
Previous research has found that a higher prevalence of lactobacilli in the vaginal microbiome is associated with better health outcomes, including lower risk of bacterial vaginosis (BV), a common vaginal infection caused by an imbalance of bacteria. What’s driving this association has remained unclear, however. “If you have a BV flare, you’re more likely to acquire sexually transmitted infections, you’re more likely to transmit them, you are at a high risk of poor obstetric outcomes,” Gopinath said in an Oct. 17 article in Fierce Biotech. “We really don’t understand mechanistically how any of this works.”
Researchers in Gopinath’s lab set out to discover the biological underpinnings of lactobacilli’s health benefits. To do so, they isolated the various chemicals and compounds produced by each subtype of lactobacilli, then used mouse models to test each chemical’s ability to suppress inflammation.
The study found that one type of lactobacilli, lactobacillus crispatus, produces a family of chemicals called beta-carboline alkaloids, and six of the nine members of the family have anti-inflammatory effects. One of the beta-carbolines, perlolyrine, proved to be particularly effective at fighting inflammation; mice infected with genital herpes treated once per day with topical perlolyrine had reduced disease scores and improved survival. The researchers further tested these results by analyzing vaginal fluids from healthy women and those with BV; beta-carbolines were more common in healthy individuals.
According to the researchers, the study’s findings provide new understanding of the vaginal microbiome’s inner workings and pave the way for better prevention of and treatment for infections like BV, which impacts roughly a quarter of women around the globe and can carry significant health risks. “We’re still stuck at treating [BV] with antibiotics that were standard of care in the ’70s,” Gopinath said. “There’s a lot more we could be doing.”
Read the Fierce Biotech article: Compounds from healthy vaginal bacteria show promise as inflammation treatment
Read the study: Vaginal lactobacilli produce anti-inflammatory β-carboline compounds
Learn more:
Unlocking new information about vaginal health (Harvard Chan School news)
Image: iStock/Ekaterina Shilova
