Glutamate coordinates with Lactobacillus amylovorus to attenuate intestinal damage induced by deoxynivalenol

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a prevalent trichothecene mycotoxin that threatens intestinal health, yet its effects on gut microbiota remain poorly understood. Here, Lactobacillus amylovorus isolated from Ningxiang pigs showed strong acid and bile tolerance but significantly impaired growth under DON exposure. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that DON disrupted amino acid metabolism in L. amylovorus, particularly glutamate metabolism. Among the amino acids tested, only glutamate supplementation restored bacterial growth under DON exposure. Futhermore, co-supplementation with glutamate and L. amylovorus alleviated DON-induced intestinal injury by improving intestinal barrier integrity and serum amino acid homeostasis in mice. Intestinal transcriptomics showed that differentially expressed genes were mainly enriched in the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) signaling pathway. Co-supplementation modulated NF-κB signaling, restored glutamate metabolism, reduced IL-1β and IL-6 levels, and increased Bcl2, Btk, and Cd40 expression. Correlation and protein-protein interaction analyses further suggested a potential association between B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase 2 (GPT2), a key enzyme in glutamate metabolism. Overall, glutamate cooperates with L. amylovorus to alleviate DON-induced intestinal injury, potentially through coordinated regulation of glutamate metabolism and NF-κB signaling.