Red panda intestinal organoids for the functional analysis of Lactobacillus salivarius

Organoids are excellent and reproducible in vitro models for studying physiological mechanisms and modeling diseases in endangered species. However, intestinal organoids of red pandas have not yet been established. This study reports a culture system of intestinal stem cell-derived organoids of red panda that can be passaged, cryopreserved, and resuscitated in vitro. The single-cell RNA sequencing and RNA sequencing analysis showed that red panda intestinal organoids retain tissue-specific cell types and functions. In order to verify the application potential of Lactobacillus salivarius P103 as a probiotic in red pandas, these organoids were used to establish a co-culture system with L. salivarius P103. The results showed that L. salivarius P103 could promote mucin secretion, reduce intestinal inflammation, and inhibit infection induced by Klebsiella pneumoniae 28. The establishment of red panda intestinal organoids provides a long-term, reproducible model system for studying host-microbe interaction mechanisms and decreasing dependence on animal models in wildlife research.