Nociceptor regulation of the intestinal microbiota

Pain is a hallmark of many chronic inflammatory conditions including Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), however whether pain-sensing neurons influence the development or severity of intestinal inflammation is unknown. Employing chemo-genetic silencing or pharmacological ablation of TRPV1+ nociceptors, we observed more severe inflammation and defective tissue-protective reparative processes in a murine model of intestinal damage. Dysregulated intestinal homeostasis was associated with alterations in the composition of the intestinal microbiota and transplantation of the microbiota from mice with disrupted nociception resulted in exacerbated intestinal damage and inflammation in recipient mice, indicating that nociceptor disruption-mediated dysbiosis can transfer disease. Altogether, these findings demonstrate a functional link between pain sensing, the microbiota, and the restoration of intestinal homeostasis.