Bifidobacterium animalis Probio-M8 improves sarcopenia physical performance by mitigating creatine restrictions imposed by microbial metabolites
Zeng Zhang, Yajing Fang, Yangli He, Mohamed A. Farag, Min Zeng, Yukai Sun, Siqi Peng, Shuaiming Jiang, Xianzhong Zhang, Kaining Chen, Meng Xu, Zhe Han, Jiachao Zhang
Abstract
Sarcopenia is a major health challenge due to an aging population. Probiotics may improve muscle function through gut-muscle axis, but their efficacy and mechanisms in treating sarcopenia remain unclear. This study investigated the impact of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Probio-M8 (Probio-M8) on old mice and sarcopenia patients. We analyzed 43 subjects, including gut microbiome, fecal metabolome, and serum metabolome, using a multi-omics approach to assess whether Probio-M8 can improve sarcopenia by modulating gut microbial metabolites. Probio-M8 significantly improved muscle function in aged mice and enhanced physical performance in sarcopenia patients. It reduced pathogenic gut species and increased beneficial metabolites such as indole-3-lactic acid, acetoacetic acid, and creatine. Mediating effect analyses revealed that Probio-M8 effectively reduced n-dodecanoyl-L-homoserine lactone level in gut concurrent with increased creatine circulation, to significantly enhance host physical properties. These findings provide new insights into probiotics as a potential treatment for sarcopenia by modulating gut microbiota metabolism.