Table 4.
Pathologic state-inducing experimental studies applying FMT in autoimmune diseases. The table summarizes experimental studies in which human or animal donor stool was applied to induce the pathologic states of autoimmune diseases in animal models, namely Grave’s disease, Hashimoto´s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, type I diabetes and systemic lupus erythematosus. The table summarizes the main outcomes of the FMT applications and highlights interesting outcome results. Transplantation from human donor into animal model recipient (H-to-A). Transplantation from animal donor into animal model recipient (A-to-A).
| Disorder | FMT Transfer | Main Outcome |
Outcome Details | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graves’ disease |
A-to-A | Successful | Gut microbiota alternations post-FMT. A greater decrease of T3 and T4 hormone concentrations, increased liver expression of type 2 deiodinase and better recovery of hypothyroid-induced resting metabolic rate back to normal. | [51] |
| Graves’ disease |
H-to-A | Successful | A donor-specific alteration of gut microbiota. Increased disease severity, reduction in Shannon diversity, increased richness indices. Decreased abundance of Bacteroides compared with control mice. | [52] |
| Graves’ disease |
H-to-A | Successful | Increased incidence of Graves’ disease. An increase of serum total thyroxine concentrations, thyroglobulin antibodies and IL-17A. Decreased serum concentrations of IL-10. | [53] |
| Hashimoto’s disease | H-to-A | Successful | A decrease of serum total thyroxine concentrations, mRNA expression of occludin, junctional adhesion molecule-A and zonula occludens-3211. | [54] |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | A-to-A | Successful | Physical changes, e.g., cartilage alterations, paw deformities present. Increased concentration of tissue inflammatory mediators. Activation of CD4/CD8+ T-lymphocytes. Behavioral modifications. Occult bleeding with gut tissue disruption. | [55] |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | H-to-A | Successful | Depression-like phenotypes. Alterations of gut microbiota composition. Increased percentage of CD3e+ and CD4+ T-lymphocytes in Peyer’s plaques and spleen. Increased Th1/Th2 index and decreased CD25+ and FOX3+ Treg cells. Downregulation of synaptic proteins. Negative correlation of Bacteroides, Phascolarctobacterium with the Th1/Th2 index and positive correlations with a decreased percentage of Treg cells in Peyer’s plaques and spleen. Twelve promising rheumatoid bacterial biomarkers proposed. | [56] |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | A-to-A | Successful | Severe joint swelling. Maximum arthritis score observed in FMT transplanted mice compared to non-FMT mice. | [57] |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | A-to-A | Failed | Attenuation of experimental arthritis more efficient without antibiotic treatment and FMT administration. | [58] |
| Sjogren’s syndrome | H-to-A | Potential but more research is necessary | Decreased corneal epithelial barrier integrity and decreased concentrations of CD45+, CD4+, FOXP3+ in cervical lymph nodes cells. Decreased CD4+, FOXP3+ cells in cervical lymph nodes tissue and spleen in offspring of FMT-transplanted mice. | [59] |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus | A-to-A | Successful | Changes in immune cell distribution in recipients. Upregulated expression of lupus susceptibility genes. | [60] |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus | H-to-A | Successful | A lupus-like phenotypic features in FMT transplanted mice. Increased serum autoimmune antibodies, imbalanced cytokines, altered distribution of immune cells in mucosal and peripheral immune response and upregulated expression of genes related to systemic lupus erythematosus. Metabolism of histidine modified. | [61] |
| Type 1 diabetes | H-to-A | Potential but more research is necessary | Delayed onset of Type I diabetes. The pace of beta cell loss not transferable to the mouse model. | [62] |