Wang Y, Liu J. Interplay between creeping fat and gut microbiota: A brand-new perspective on fecal microbiota transplantation in Crohn's disease. World J Gastroenterol 2025; 31(2): 100024 [DOI: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i2.100024]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Jie Liu, MD, Doctor, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Hefei 230001, Anhui Province, China. feixilj@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Microbiology
Article-Type of This Article
Letter to the Editor
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastroenterol. Jan 14, 2025; 31(2): 100024 Published online Jan 14, 2025. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v31.i2.100024
Interplay between creeping fat and gut microbiota: A brand-new perspective on fecal microbiota transplantation in Crohn's disease
Ying Wang, Jie Liu
Ying Wang, Department of Life Sciences and Medicine, South District of Endoscopic Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, Anhui Province, China
Jie Liu, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230001, Anhui Province, China
Author contributions: Ying W and Liu J contributed to draft of the manuscript; Liu J contributed to critical revision of the manuscript; all of the authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript to be published.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Jie Liu, MD, Doctor, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of University of Science and Technology of China, No. 17 Lujiang Road, Hefei 230001, Anhui Province, China. feixilj@163.com
Received: August 5, 2024 Revised: November 17, 2024 Accepted: November 22, 2024 Published online: January 14, 2025 Processing time: 134 Days and 17.6 Hours
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel disease, particularly Crohn's disease (CD), has been linked to modifications in mesenteric adipose tissue (MAT) and the phenomenon known as "creeping fat" (CrF). The presence of CrF is believed to serve as a predictor for early clinical recurrence following surgical intervention in patients with CD. Notably, the incorporation of the mesentery during ileocolic resection for CD has been correlated with a decrease in surgical recurrence, indicating the significant role of MAT in the pathogenesis of CD. While numerous studies have indicated that dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is a critical factor in the development of CD, the functional implications of translocated microbiota within the MAT of CD patients remain ambiguous. This manuscript commentary discusses a recent basic research conducted by Wu et al. In their study, intestinal bacteria from individuals were transplanted into CD model mice, revealing that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from healthy donors alleviated CD symptoms, whereas FMT from CD patients exacerbated these symptoms. Importantly, FMT was found to affect intestinal permeability, barrier function, and the levels of proinflammatory factors and adipokines. Collectively, these findings suggest that targeting MAT and CrF may hold therapeutic potential for patients with CD. However, the study did not evaluate the composition of the intestinal microbiota of the donors or the subsequent alterations in the gut microbiota. Overall, the gut microbiota plays a crucial role in the histopathology of CD, and thus, targeting MAT and CrF may represent a promising avenue for treatment in this patient population.
Core Tip: Some studies have indicated that dysbiosis of the gut microbiota is a significant characteristic in the development of Crohn's disease (CD). However, the functional role of translocated microbiota in the mesenteric adipose tissue (MAT) of CD patients remains ambiguous. Evidence has shown that the translocation of viable microbiota into human MAT can polarize macrophages, leading to adipogenesis within the MAT and contributing to the formation of creeping fat (CrF) in individuals with CD. Nonetheless, it remains an important inquiry to elucidate the role of MAT-associated microbiota in the pathogenesis of CD. This manuscript aims to discuss the article by Wu et al, which explores the potential therapeutic value of fecal microbiota transplantation in the management of CD. Study by Wu et al suggested that the interactions among gut microbiota, MAT hypertrophy, and intestinal fibrosis may mutually reinforce one another in the pathogenesis of CD. Consequently, targeting MAT and CrF may hold promise as a therapeutic strategy for patients suffering from CD.
