. 2024 Mar 5;36(3):466-483.e7.

doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.12.026. Epub 2024 Jan 23.

Psychological stress-induced microbial metabolite indole-3-acetate disrupts intestinal cell lineage commitment

Wei Wei¹, Yali Liu², Yuanlong Hou³, Shuqi Cao¹, Zhuo Chen¹, Youying Zhang¹, Xiaoying Cai¹, Qingyuan Yan¹, Ziguang Li¹, Yonggui Yuan⁴, Guangji Wang⁵, Xiao Zheng⁶, Haiping Hao⁷

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacy, Shenzhen Luohu People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518005, China.
⁴ Department of Psychosomatics and Psychiatry, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: yygylh2000@sina.com.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: guangjiwang@cpu.edu.cn.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: xzheng@cpu.edu.cn.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: haipinghao@cpu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38266651
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.12.026

Psychological stress-induced microbial metabolite indole-3-acetate disrupts intestinal cell lineage commitment

Wei Wei et al. Cell Metab. 2024.

. 2024 Mar 5;36(3):466-483.e7.

doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.12.026. Epub 2024 Jan 23.

Authors

Wei Wei¹, Yali Liu², Yuanlong Hou³, Shuqi Cao¹, Zhuo Chen¹, Youying Zhang¹, Xiaoying Cai¹, Qingyuan Yan¹, Ziguang Li¹, Yonggui Yuan⁴, Guangji Wang⁵, Xiao Zheng⁶, Haiping Hao⁷

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; Department of Pharmacy, Shenzhen Luohu People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518005, China.
⁴ Department of Psychosomatics and Psychiatry, Zhongda Hospital, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: yygylh2000@sina.com.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: guangjiwang@cpu.edu.cn.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: xzheng@cpu.edu.cn.
⁷ State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China; Laboratory of Metabolic Regulation and Drug Target Discovery, School of Pharmacy, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China. Electronic address: haipinghao@cpu.edu.cn.

PMID: 38266651
DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2023.12.026

Abstract

The brain and gut are intricately connected and respond to various stimuli. Stress-induced brain-gut communication is implicated in the pathogenesis and relapse of gut disorders. The mechanism that relays psychological stress to the intestinal epithelium, resulting in maladaptation, remains poorly understood. Here, we describe a stress-responsive brain-to-gut metabolic axis that impairs intestinal stem cell (ISC) lineage commitment. Psychological stress-triggered sympathetic output enriches gut commensal Lactobacillus murinus, increasing the production of indole-3-acetate (IAA), which contributes to a transferrable loss of intestinal secretory cells. Bacterial IAA disrupts ISC mitochondrial bioenergetics and thereby prevents secretory lineage commitment in a cell-intrinsic manner. Oral α-ketoglutarate supplementation bolsters ISC differentiation and confers resilience to stress-triggered intestinal epithelial injury. We confirm that fecal IAA is higher in patients with mental distress and is correlated with gut dysfunction. These findings uncover a microbe-mediated brain-gut pathway that could be therapeutically targeted for stress-driven gut-brain comorbidities.

Keywords: Lactobacillus; brain-body communication; gut-brain axis; inflammatory bowel disease; intestinal stem cell; microbial metabolism; mitochondrial respiration; psychological stress; tryptophan metabolites.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests The authors declare no competing interests.

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Psychological stress-induced microbial metabolite indole-3-acetate disrupts intestinal cell lineage commitment

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Psychological stress-induced microbial metabolite indole-3-acetate disrupts intestinal cell lineage commitment

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