研究人员发现可降解尼古丁的肠道细菌 Scientists identify gut bacteria that can alleviate smoking hazard

研究人员称，人体中的一种肠道细菌可以降解吸烟者肠道内积累的尼古丁，这对预防和治疗吸烟相关肝脏疾病具有潜在应用价值。

A study by Chinese scientists and their US counterparts has identified a type of bacteria in our gut that can effectively degrade nicotine, a harmful ingredient in tobacco that causes addiction and a slew of health risks including fatty liver disease.

中美科研人员联合开展的一项研究显示，人体中的一种肠道细菌可以有效降解尼古丁。尼古丁是烟草中的一种有害成分，会导致上瘾和一系列健康风险，包括脂肪性肝病。

A colony of gut bacteria was found to have reduced intestinal nicotine concentrations in nicotine-exposed mice, according to the latest study published in the journal Nature.

根据发表在《自然》杂志上的最新研究，研究人员发现，在尼古丁暴露的小鼠体内，一种肠道细菌菌落降低了肠道尼古丁浓度。

The researchers from Peking University, Zhejiang University, Fudan University, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University and the US National Institutes of Health found that Bacteroides xylanisolvens can degrade the nicotines accumulated in a smoker's gut.

来自北京大学、浙江大学、复旦大学和温州医科大学附属第一医院的科研人员联合美国国立卫生研究院的研究人员发现，人体中的一种肠道细菌解木聚糖拟杆菌可以降解吸烟者肠道内积累的尼古丁。

Nicotine is known to activate a kind of intestinal molecule called AMPKα and these molecules contribute to the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), according to the study.

研究称，尼古丁可激活肠道内一种被称为AMPKα的分子。这些分子促进了非酒精性脂肪性肝病(NAFLD)的进展。

The study findings suggest a possible strategy to reduce tobacco smoking-exacerbated NAFLD progression, by employing bacteria that are naturally present in human gut and that have been used safely in food production.

研究结果称，可以通过使用在人类肠道中自然存在的细菌，来减少吸烟加剧的非酒精性脂肪肝疾病的进展。这种细菌已在食品生产中安全使用。

【相关词汇】

电子烟 electronic cigarettes

健康风险 health risk

二手烟 second-hand smoke

禁烟令 smoking ban

来源：新华社

编辑：yaning