Scientists Use Engineered Bacteria to Lower Blood Pressure

Scientists at The University of Toledo have demonstrated that engineered bacteria can lower blood pressure. This groundbreaking discovery paves the way for utilizing our body’s microbiome as a potential treatment for hypertension, the journal Pharmacological Research reported.

The study represents a paradigm shift, said Dr. Bina Joe, a hypertension researcher at UToledo and the paper’s senior author.

“The question we always ask is, can we exploit microbiota to help our health, for which optimal blood pressure is a cardinal sign. Until now, we have simply said changes in microbiota play a role in elevated blood pressure or hypertension. Those are important findings, but they don’t always have an immediately translational application,” she said. “This is the first time we have shown that we really can do this. It’s a proof of principle that you can use microbiota to make products that measurably improve your health.”

Joe, a Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology in the UToledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences, is a pioneer in studying the connection between bacteria living in our gut and blood pressure regulation.

In her most recent research, Joe and her team tested Lactobacillus paracasei, a beneficial gut bacterium, that was specially modified to produce a protein called ACE2 in lab rats that are predisposed to hypertension and unable to naturally produce ACE2.

ACE2 has drawn considerable interest in recent years because of its role as a key receptor for the virus that causes COVID-19.

However, the protein also negatively regulates the renin-angiotensin system which generates angiotensin II, a hormone that raises blood pressure in a number of ways, including by the constriction of blood vessels.

By feeding rats the engineered Lactobacillus paracasei bacterium as a probiotic, researchers were able to introduce human ACE2 in their guts, which specifically reduced their gut angiotensin II and, in turn, lowered their blood pressure.

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