A dynamic mouse peptidome landscape reveals probiotic modulation of the gut-brain axis
Pei Zhang, Xiaoli Wu, Shan Liang, Xianfeng Shao, Qianqian Wang, Ruibing Chen, Weimin Zhu, Chen Shao, Feng Jin, Chenxi Jia
Abstract
Certain probiotics have beneficial effects on the function of the central nervous system through modulation of the gut-brain axis. Here, we describe a dynamic landscape of the peptidome across multiple brain regions, modulated by oral administration of different probiotic species over various times. The spatiotemporal and strain-specific changes of the brain peptidome correlated with the composition of the gut microbiome. The hippocampus exhibited the most sensitive response to probiotic treatment. The administration of heat-killed probiotics altered the hippocampus peptidome but did not substantially change the gut microbiome. We developed a literature-mining algorithm to link the neuropeptides altered by probiotics with potential functional roles. We validated the probiotic-regulated role of corticotropin-releasing hormone by monitoring the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, the prenatal stress-induced hyperactivity of which was attenuated by probiotics treatment. Our findings provide evidence for modulation of the brain peptidome by probiotics and provide a resource for further studies of the gut-brain axis and probiotic therapies.