aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) tagged posts

Nanomaterial influences Gut Microbiome and Immune system Interactions

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A new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet shows that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in intestinal epithelial cells senses the nanomaterial graphen oxide and activates specific immune cells known as innate lymphoid cells. Illustration by Getty Images.

The nanomaterial graphene oxide — which is used in everything from electronics to sensors for biomolecules — can indirectly affect the immune system via the gut microbiome, as shown in a new study on zebrafish by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. The findings are reported in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

“This shows that we must factor the gut microbiome into our understanding of how nanomaterials affect the immune system,” says the paper’s corresponding author Bengt Fadeel, professor at the Institute o...

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