This article is from early 2017. Not sure if it was posted already.
/www.google.com/amp/s/medicalxpress.com/news/2017-01-drug-ulcerative-colitis.ampThe microorganisms' stress response system produces a substance called polyphosphate. Bacteria that are unable to make polyphosphate are less virulent, defective in forming antibiotic-resistant biofilms, less able to colonize the gut and are more sensitive to inflammatory oxidants, which are produced by our bodies to combat harmful bacteria.
Jakob, Dahl and co-workers, as well as researchers from the U-M College of Pharmacy and U-M Medical School, showed that mesalamine targets the production of polyphosphate and caused bacteria to behave as if they lacked this vital substance.
"We now know that mesalamine is making certain bacteria more sensitive to conditions they would encounter in the inflamed gut, which might explain how mesalamine treatment improves the gut microbiome," said Jakob, the study's lead investigator.