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World J Gastroenterol. May 7, 2014; 20(17): 5000-5007
Published online May 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i17.5000
Published online May 7, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i17.5000
Caecal pH is a biomarker of excessive colonic fermentation
Adam D Farmer, Sahar D Mohammed, S Mark Scott, Centre for Digestive Diseases, Blizard Institute of Cell and Molecular Science, Wingate Institute of Neurogastroenterology, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 2AJ, United Kingdom
George E Dukes, GlaxoSmithKline Research and Development Durham County, NC 27709-3398, United States
Anthony R Hobson, Functional Gut Clinic, London W1G 6NB, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Farmer AD wrote the paper and analysed the data; Mohammed SD collected the data; Dukes GE collected the data; Scott SM and Hobson AR pioneered the concept, collected the data and revised the paper for important intellectual content.
Supported by A Grant from the SmartPill Corporation
Correspondence to: Anthony R Hobson, PhD, Consultant Clinical Scientist, Functional Gut Clinic, 22 Upper Wimpole Street, London W1G 6NB, United Kingdom. anthonyhobson@hotmail.com
Telephone: +44-2070-344030 Fax: +44-7850-114966
Received: September 6, 2013
Revised: December 20, 2013
Accepted: January 3, 2014
Published online: May 7, 2014
Processing time: 242 Days and 12.2 Hours
Revised: December 20, 2013
Accepted: January 3, 2014
Published online: May 7, 2014
Processing time: 242 Days and 12.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Colonic bacterial fermentation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome. Hitherto, the measurement of fermentation in vivo in humans has been invasive and technically challenging. A major by product of colonic bacterial fermentation are short chain fatty acids. These short chain fatty acids act to reduce colonic pH. Herein, we demonstrate that the measurement of caecal ph using the wireless motility capsule provides a quantifiable biomarker of fermentation potentially identifying those patients with irritable bowel syndrome that may preferentially benefit from antibiotic or dietary interventions.