Figure 4. Microbial transplant, immune response and rescue.
Morphine treatment results in a robust IL17 response in the Mesenteric Lymph node (MLN) and transplantation of placebo microbiome rescues the inflammatory phenotype (A). Reconstitution of dysbiotic microbiome alone is sufficient to recapitulate most of the morphine induced gut pathologies, including bacterial translocation across the intestinal mucosa (B). Systemic IL17 response was only seen donor animals with morphine treatment (C) and both donors and recipients exhibit a systemic IL6 response indicating pro-inflammatory environment in the host (D). In all cases (A–D), morphine-implanted animals receiving “normal” microbiota show baseline levels of IL17. [**= p<0.05 between indicated groups; ##= p<0.05 compared to MM]. Also See Figure S3.