The Microbiota and Equine Asthma: An Integrative View of the Gut–Lung Axis
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Clinical Sciences Department, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
2
Veterinary Department of Biomedical Sciences, Université de Montréal, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC J2S 2M2, Canada
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2024, 14(2), 253; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14020253
Submission received: 22 December 2023
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Revised: 11 January 2024
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Accepted: 11 January 2024
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Published: 13 January 2024
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Relationships between Animal Hosts and Microbiota, Animal Health and Response to Diseases)
Simple Summary
Ex vivo, mouse, and human studies have pointed to the gut microbiota as playing roles in many diseases, including asthma susceptibility and severity. Equine asthma shares many similarities with human asthma, and gut microbiota could also be critical components in the pathophysiology of the disease. The purpose of this review was to describe the current knowledge on the potential role of the understudied gut–lung axis in the pathophysiology of equine asthma.
Abstract
Both microbe–microbe and host–microbe interactions can have effects beyond the local environment and influence immunological responses in remote organs such as the lungs. The crosstalk between the gut and the lungs, which is supported by complex connections and intricate pathways, is defined as the gut–lung axis. This review aimed to report on the potential role of the gut–lung gut–lung axis in the development and persistence of equine asthma. We summarized significant determinants in the development of asthma in horses and humans. The article discusses the gut–lung axis and proposes an integrative view of the relationship between gut microbiota and asthma. It also explores therapies for modulating the gut microbiota in horses with asthma. Improving our understanding of the horse gut–lung axis could lead to the development of techniques such as fecal microbiota transplants, probiotics, or prebiotics to manipulate the gut microbiota specifically for improving the management of asthma in horses.
