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Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HBM1 isolated from pickles in Bama Longevity Village ameliorates experimental colitis and secondary neurological dysfunction via modulating TLR4/NLRP3/Caspase-1 pathways
Food Science and Human Wellness
Available online: 22 April 2026
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Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory bowel disease with a poorly defined etiology. Traditional fermented foods may serve as a potential source of therapeutic agents for UC, which can be applied as probiotics. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum HBM1, a strain with high gastrointestinal fluid tolerance, was isolated from fermented foodsoriginating from Bama, a longevity village. This study investigated its potential to alleviate intestinal barrier dysfunction and inflammation in both in vitro and in vivo UC models. We identified a fat-soluble component less than 3 kDa (FCLPS_l3000) from the HBM1 culture supernatant, and validated that it maintained tight junction protein expression and suppressesd pro-inflammatory cytokine release in an LPS-induced Caco-2/Raw264.7 co-culture UC model. Through combined analysis of transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, we found that FCLPS_l3000 relieved barrier function damage and inflammation in the LPS-induced Caco-2/Raw264.7 cell co-culture model by regulating the TLR4/NLRP3/Caspase-1 axis. In animal experiments, we further confirmed that the improvement effects of FCLPS_l3000 and live HBM1 probiotics on DSS-induced UC were related to the TLR4/NLRP3/Caspase-1 axis. Additionally, FCLPS_l3000 and live HBM1 alleviated UC-induced neuronal damage and neuroinflammation, thereby improving accompanying secondary neurological dysfunction. Interestingly, FCLPS_l3000 demonstrated superior efficacy with live HBM1 across multiple indicators. Collectively, this work reveals novel active components and the underlying regulatory mechanisms of probiotic intervention for UC and underscores the therapeutic potential of probiotic derivatives. Our findings provide a new direction for the development of multi-target therapies for UC and associated neurological complications.

Open Access Research Article Issue
Gut microbiota metabolite butyric acid alleviated Klebsiella Pneumoniae induced lung injury by regulating CX3CR1+NK via PI3K/AKT pathway
Burns & Trauma 2026, 14(1): tkaf069
Published: 29 October 2025
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Background

The expression of CX3CR1 is regulated by the gut microbiota and is correlated with the prognosis of sepsis in patients. However, the underlying mechanism has remained uncertain. This study aims to explore the role of gut microbiota components in regulating CX3CR1 expression and its impact on pneumonia-induced lung injury during sepsis.

Methods

Mice were fed a mixture of antibiotics to establish a pseudogerm-free mouse model and then infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was performed on microbiota-depleted mice, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing and targeted metabolomics were used to identify the key metabolites. Flow cytometry was employed to analyze the phenotypes of natural killer (NK) cells. Butyric acid was added as a supplement for rescue. Next, NK92 cells were pretreated with butyric acid to explore the potential signaling pathways involved.

Results

In the animal study, we revealed that the expression of CX3CR1 on NK cells depended on the intestinal microbiota and its metabolites, which were related to the survival rates of gut microbiota-depleted mice after K. pneumoniae infection. FMT increased the percentage of CX3CR1+ NK cells in the lungs of these mice, restored the disordered microbiota and metabolites, and alleviated the lung injury induced by infection. Among the metabolites, butyric acid was identified as the key metabolite and was shown to increase the proportion of CX3CR1+ NK cells and interferon (IFN)-γ secretion, reduce bacterial loads, increase lung tissue damage, and increase survival rates. In vitro, butyric acid activated the PI3K/AKT pathway in NK92 cells, promoted CX3CR1 expression, and enhanced NK cell activity and migration ability.

Conclusions

We concluded that butyric acid alleviated K. pneumoniae-induced lung injury by regulating CX3CR1+ NK cells via the PI3K/AKT pathway.

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