MINI REVIEW article
Front. Pediatr.
Sec. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fped.2025.1673156
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvances Towards Precision Medicine in Pediatric-onset Inflammatory Bowel DiseaseView all 5 articles
Advancements in Understanding the Relationship Between Akkermansia muciniphila and the Development of Ulcerative Colitis
Provisionally accepted
- The First People's Hospital of Zunyi, Zunyi, China
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Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by severe intestinal barrier dysfunction and immune dysregulation in patients, with limited clinical treatment options. Recent research highlights the important role of the gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK) in both the development and management of UC. AKK supports the integrity of the intestinal barrier by metabolizing mucins, enhances the production of tight junction proteins (Occludin-1/ZO-1), and influences immune responses by shifting macrophage polarization from M1 to M2, suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β、IL-6、 MCP-1), and activating anti-inflammatory pathways (SCFAs-SLC52A2/FFAR2 、 AhR). Clinical data indicate that the abundance of AKK in the intestines of patients with UC is significantly reduced, and this decrease is positively correlated with disease activity and relapse rates. Animal studies have demonstrated that adding AKK can restore the thickness of the mucus layer, lower inflammation scores, and improve the composition of gut microbiota. Importantly, the probiotic effects of AKK vary by strain; for instance, strain FSDLZ36M5 notably reduces colitis symptoms, while FSDLZ20M4 may worsen inflammation. These findings suggest that AKK or its metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acid(SCFAs), hold promise as therapeutic targets for the microbiota in patients with UC.Nonetheless, additional research on strain selection and clinical application is essential to refine treatment strategies. This article will review the correlation between the pathogenesis of AKK and UC, and explore the potential application value of AKK as a probiotic in children with UC, providing new insights for the prevention and treatment in patients with UC.
Keywords: Akkermansia muciniphila, ulcerative colitis, Intestinal barrie, Immune Regulation, Strain specificity, Microecological therapy
Received: 25 Jul 2025; Accepted: 02 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Xu, Xiao, Ma, Jing, Jiang, Luo, Li and Duan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Miao Duan, The First People's Hospital of Zunyi, Zunyi, China
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