Ma Jinyun, Liu Xiaojun, Zhao Yan, Lu Qijin, Ding Guiqing, Wang Yuanhua, Cheng Xiaodong
Institute of Clinical Immunology, Yue-yang Hospital of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200437, China.
Brain Res Bull. 2025 Jan;220:111171. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2024.111171. Epub 2024 Dec 13.
The Th17/Treg imbalance is an important cause of immune cell infiltration into the central nervous system (CNS) in multiple sclerosis (MS). The gut microbiota affects the Th17/Treg balance in the gut and in distal areas, such as the CNS, which further contributes to the onset and progression of MS. Our previous studies have shown that Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) has a role in alleviating the clinical symptoms and demyelination of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice, a classic MS model. However, the mechanism of action is not fully understood. In this study, we found that APS suppressed inflammation and regulated the Th17/Treg balance in the CNS and peripheral blood of EAE mice. It was further shown that APS inhibited gut inflammation and reduced Th17 function. The experiment with an antibiotic cocktail interfering with the gut microbiota proved that APS alleviated EAE by regulating the gut microbiota. Through 16S rRNA sequencing, we showed that APS regulated gut microbiota diversity and composition in EAE mice. Then, we found that APS regulated metabolite composition in feces and plasma, thus altering gut and blood metabolic functions. Metabolites related to this pathway, including sphingosine 1 phosphate (S1P), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), ADP, and ATP, were downregulated by APS. The levels of bile acid metabolites such as taurochenodeoxycholate-7-sulfate and N-palmitoyl aspartic acid were upregulated by APS. In summary, our study demonstrated that APS exerts a suppressive effect on EAE by regulating gut microbiota composition, affecting metabolite composition, and improving the Th17/Treg balance in the peripheral blood and CNS.
辅助性T细胞17/调节性T细胞(Th17/Treg)失衡是多发性硬化症(MS)中免疫细胞浸润中枢神经系统(CNS)的重要原因。肠道微生物群会影响肠道及诸如CNS等远端区域的Th17/Treg平衡,这进一步促使MS的发病和进展。我们之前的研究表明,黄芪多糖(APS)在减轻实验性自身免疫性脑脊髓炎(EAE)小鼠(一种经典的MS模型)的临床症状和脱髓鞘方面发挥作用。然而,其作用机制尚未完全明确。在本研究中,我们发现APS可抑制EAE小鼠CNS和外周血中的炎症并调节Th17/Treg平衡。进一步研究表明,APS可抑制肠道炎症并降低Th17功能。用抗生素混合物干扰肠道微生物群的实验证明,APS通过调节肠道微生物群来减轻EAE。通过16S rRNA测序,我们发现APS可调节EAE小鼠的肠道微生物群多样性和组成。然后,我们发现APS可调节粪便和血浆中的代谢物组成,从而改变肠道和血液的代谢功能。与该途径相关的代谢物,包括1-磷酸鞘氨醇(S1P)、前列腺素E2(PGE2)、二磷酸腺苷(ADP)和三磷酸腺苷(ATP),均被APS下调。牛磺鹅去氧胆酸-7-硫酸盐和N-棕榈酰天冬氨酸等胆汁酸代谢物的水平则被APS上调。总之,我们的研究表明,APS通过调节肠道微生物群组成、影响代谢物组成以及改善外周血和CNS中的Th17/Treg平衡,对EAE发挥抑制作用。
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