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. 2025 Apr 26.
doi: 10.1007/s12602-025-10545-y. Online ahead of print.

Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM17938 Attenuates Neuroinflammatory Responses After Spinal Cord Injury by Modulating Tryptophan Metabolism

Qiuyu Cen #  1 , Yanru Cui #  1 , Jing Feng #  1 , Li Zhu  2 , Juanfang Wei  3 , Linjie Wang  4 , Cong Chang  5 , Rizhao Pang  6 , Junyu Wang  7 , Anren Zhang  8
Affiliations

Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM17938 Attenuates Neuroinflammatory Responses After Spinal Cord Injury by Modulating Tryptophan Metabolism

Qiuyu Cen et al. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. .

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) disrupts gut flora and exacerbates neuroinflammation. Evidence supports the important role of the intestinal microbiota in SCI. This study evaluated the neuroprotective effect of Limosilactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) DSM 17938 on SCI and its potential anti-inflammatory mechanism. The intestinal microbiota was disorganised following SCI, with a significant decrease in the abundance of probiotic bacteria such as L. reuteri. L. reuteri DSM17938 treatment improved the spinal cord pathology and enhanced locomotor functional recovery in SCI-model rats. Moreover, it modulated tryptophan metabolism by promoting indole-3-carboxaldehyde production. In addition, L. reuteri DSM17938 inhibits polarization of M1 microglia and reduces the production of IL-6, IL-1 β, and TNF-α in spinal cord injury to alleviate neuroinflammation. It also activates aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signalling via upregulating AhR and CYP1A1 expression, promoting tight junction protein synthesis. In summary, L. reuteri DSM17938 promotes SCI recovery by modulating tryptophan metabolism to activate AhR signalling and intestinal barrier repair to attenuate spinal cord M1 microglial activation and neuroinflammation, suggesting a strategy for clinical adjuvant SCI treatment.

Keywords: Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938; AhR; M1 phenotype microglia; Spinal cord injury; Tryptophan metabolism.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Institutional Review Board Statement: The animal study protocol was approved by the Science and Technology Ethics Committee of Tongji University. Experimental procedures followed the Chinese National Ethical Principles for Laboratory Animals and relevant regulations of the Animal Ethics Committee at the Fourth People’s Hospital Affiliated with Tongji University (approval number: TJBH16724203,2024.4.15). Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no competing interests.

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