Project title
The Oral Microbiome in Health and Performance
Project abstract
Nitric Oxide (NO) is a potent signalling molecule involved in various physiological process. It has particular importance within the cardiovascular system where it acts to maintain vascular tone, involved in the regulation of blood pressure, and endothelial function. My research focuses on NO produced via the enterosalivary nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide pathway, a mechanism which acts to support enzymatic NO generation, particularly during exercise, aging, and pathology. The initial reduction of nitrate via this pathway is exclusively reliant on bacteria which live in the oral cavity and represents an important example of human-bacterial symbiosis. Through human studies my research investigates how lifestyle factors, including exercise and diet, affect the metagenomic composition and function of these nitrate-reducing oral bacteria and their influence on parameters of cardiovascular health (assessed using techniques such as ultrasound flow-mediated dilation and near-infrared spectroscopy).