How alcohol-related burns change gut bacteria and damage the intestinal lining
Official title: Intestinal bacteria and epithelial barrier disruption after alcohol and burn injury
Funded at Loyola University Chicago · NIH-11226544 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether burns that happen while someone is intoxicated change gut bacteria and weaken the intestine, which may lead to worse recovery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Loyola University Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Maywood, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2018 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $835,244 |
| NIH project number | 2R01GM128242-05A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11226544 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people who have experienced a burn injury while intoxicated with alcohol, typically patients treated at participating burn centers soon after injury.
✕Less likely to help
People without burn injuries, or those whose burns were not linked to alcohol intoxication, are unlikely to be eligible or to directly benefit from this specific project.
What this research studies
Many burn injuries occur when people are intoxicated, and having alcohol on board at the time of a burn is linked with poorer outcomes. The researchers analyze stool samples from burn patients and use mouse models that combine ethanol exposure with burn injury to compare helpful and harmful gut bacteria. They measure levels of protective metabolites like short-chain fatty acids (for example, butyrate) and harmful products such as trimethylamine (a precursor to TMAO), and track markers of intestinal barrier damage. The team aims to connect specific microbiome and metabolic changes to gut leakiness after alcohol-plus-burn injury so future treatments or prevention strategies can be developed.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to ways to prevent or treat gut barrier breakdown after alcohol-related burns, potentially improving recovery and reducing complications.
How similar studies have gone: Prior patient sample analyses and animal studies have shown shifts in gut bacteria and reduced barrier function after burns and with alcohol, but translating these findings into tested treatments is still limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Loyola University Chicago
Maywood, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Choudhry, Mashkoor a — Loyola University Chicago
- Study coordinator: Choudhry, Mashkoor a
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.