Gut Microbes (Dec 2023)

The gut-joint axis mediates the TNF-induced RA process and PBMT therapeutic effects through the metabolites of gut microbiota

  • Qingtai Meng,
  • Monan Lin,
  • Wuqi Song,
  • Jiahui Wu,
  • Guoding Cao,
  • Ping Huang,
  • Zaiyu Su,
  • Wei Gu,
  • Xueqing Deng,
  • Peng Xu,
  • Yi Yang,
  • Hui Li,
  • Hailiang Liu,
  • Fengmin Zhang

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2023.2281382
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 2

Abstract

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ABSTRACTThe gut-joint axis, one of the mechanisms that mediates the onset and progression of joint and related diseases through gut microbiota, and shows the potential as therapeutic target. A variety of drugs exert therapeutic effects on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) through the gut-joint axis. However, the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effect of novel photobiomodulatory therapy (PBMT) on RA need further validation and the involvement of gut-joint axis in this process remains unknown. The present study demonstrated the beneficial effects of PBMT on RA, where we found the restoration of gut microbiota homeostasis, and the related key pathways and metabolites after PBMT. We also discovered that the therapeutic effects of PBMT on RA mainly through the gut-joint axis, in which the amino acid metabolites (Alanine and N-acetyl aspartate) play the key role and rely on the activity of metabolic enzymes in the target organs. Together, the results prove that the metabolites of amino acid from gut microbiota mediate the regulation effect on the gut-joint axis and the therapeutic effect on rheumatoid arthritis of PBMT.

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