Intestinal Akkermansia muciniphila is Beneficial to Functional Recovery Following Ischemic Stroke

Recent studies have demonstrated the interaction between gut microbiota and brain on ischemic stroke, but the roles of gut microbiota in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke remain largely unclear. In this study, we detected a significant increase of intestinal Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK) following ischemic stroke by a rose bengal photothrombosis model. To investigate the function and mechanism of AKK on ischemic stroke, we performed the AKK administration prior to stroke surgery. The results showed that mice treated with AKK gained significantly higher body weight and behaved better than those in PBS group at 3 days after ischemic stroke. Consistently, AKK administration remarkably decreased the infarct volumes as well as the density of degenerating neurons and apoptotic cells after ischemic stroke. Notably, AKK is a potential therapeutic target in immune-related disorders connected to the microbiota, and inflammation is crucially involved in the pathophysiological process of ischemic stroke. For the determination of underlying mechanisms of this protective effect, we investigated whether there are associations between AKK and neuroinflammation following ischemic stroke. The results suggested that AKK administration significantly reduced the activation of astrocytes and microglia but up-regulated multiple anti-inflammatory factors following ischemic stroke. Therefore, our study highlighted the beneficial roles of intestinal AKK on ischemic stroke and provided a new perspective for the treatment of ischemic stroke.