Gut microbiota play a critical role in orchestrating metabolic homeostasis of the host. However, the crosstalk between host and microbial symbionts in small mammals are rarely illustrated. We used male Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii) to test the hypothesis that gut microbiota and host neurotransmitters, such as norepinephrine (NE), interact to regulate energetics and thermogenesis during cold acclimation. We found that increases in food intake and thermogenesis were associated with increased monoamine neurotransmitters, ghrelin, short-chain fatty acids, and altered cecal microbiota during cold acclimation. Further, our pair-fed study showed that cold temperature can alter the cecal microbiota independently of overfeeding. Using cecal microbiota transplant along with β3-adrenoceptor antagonism and PKA inhibition, we confirmed that transplant of coldacclimated microbiota increased thermogenesis through activation of cAMP-PKA-pCREB signaling. In addition, NE manipulation induced a long-term alteration in gut microbiota structure. These data demonstrate that gut microbiota-NE crosstalk via cAMP signaling regulates energetics and thermogenesis during cold acclimation in male Brandt's voles.
Stress disturbs the balance of the gut microbiota and stimulates inflammation-to-brain mechanisms. Moreover, stress leads to anxiety and depressive disorders.
Bifidobacterium adolescentis
displays distinct anti-inflammatory effects. However, no report has focused on the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of
B. adolescentis
related to the gut microbiome and the inflammation on chronic restraint stress (CRS) in mice. We found that pretreatment with
B. adolescentis
increased the time spent in the center of the open field apparatus, increased the percentage of entries into the open arms of the elevated plus-maze (EPM) and the percentage of time spent in the open arms of the EPM, and decreased the immobility duration in the tail suspension test as well as the forced swimming test (FST). Moreover,
B. adolescentis
increased the sequence proportion of
Lactobacillus
and reduced the sequence proportion of
Bacteroides
in feces. Furthermore,
B. adolescentis
markedly reduced the protein expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), p-nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 and Iba1 and elevated brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the hippocampus. We conclude that the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of
B. adolescentis
are related to reducing inflammatory cytokines and rebalancing the gut microbiota.
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