Acute post-operative pain and gut microbiota; is there any (clinical) relationship?

Abstract

Gut microbiota are the primary focus for a number of active research fields; one of their main areas of effect seem to be their effects on acute pain. Though it is generally realized that development of gut microbiota is after birth, the initial microbial core originates from maternal microbiota in fetus life, rapidly colonizing to adulthood microflora in 3-5 years. Understanding the crosstalk between microbiota, changes in gut flora and post-operative pain, and recognizing the underlying mechanisms are novel fields of study.