Pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila reshapes gut microbial metabolic potential and alleviates estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss.
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In ovariectomized rats, pasteurized A. muciniphila reduced trabecular bone loss and bone resorption, improved gut barrier integrity and lowered colonic inflammation. It raised fecal butyrate without detectable Akkermansia enrichment or restoring the altered microbiota.
Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a bone disease characterized by estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss. Although the gut microbiota has emerged as an important regulator of skeletal homeostasis, it remains unclear whether therapeutic benefits require preservation of the original microbial community. We investigated the effects of pasteurized Akkermansia muciniphila (pAkk) in ovariectomized rats. pAkk treatment attenuated trabecular bone loss, suppressed osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, improved intestinal barrier integrity and reduced colonic inflammation. Notably, 16S rRNA sequencing revealed no detectable enrichment of Akkermansia and no restoration of the OVX-altered microbiota to the Sham-operated state. pAkk increased fecal butyrate, with higher predicted representation of CoA-transferase-related genes and lower predicted representation of Ptb-Buk-related genes. These microbial and metabolic changes were accompanied by improvements in intestinal and bone parameters. Overall, pAkk protected against estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss and was associated with coordinated changes in gut microbial composition, predicted microbial functions and intestinal homeostasis.
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