Whole microbiota transplantation restores gut homeostasis throughout the gastrointestinal tract
Bufu Tang, Yuan Cao, Jia‐Su Li, Nan Gao, Pingting Gao, Xiaochao Chen, Zunzhen Ming, Zhaoshen Li, Weiliang Hou
Abstract
This study introduces whole microbiota transplantation (WMT), a synergistic therapeutic approach that concurrently transplants small intestinal and fecal microbiota. In germ-free mice, WMT outperforms conventional fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in restoring gut microbiota diversity and abundance. Moreover, in a chemotherapy-induced intestinal mucositis model, WMT alleviates intestinal inflammation and reverses microbiota dysbiosis. Encapsulation in layer-by-layer self-assembled nanocapsules further boosts microbial survival and colonization, amplifying WMT's anti-inflammatory effects and microbiota restoration in a mouse model of pan-intestinal infection. Overall, WMT represents a precise strategy for reshaping microbial homeostasis across the entire gastrointestinal tract, with therapeutic promise for inflammatory bowel diseases and small-intestinal disorders.