ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Pharmacology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1635579
This article is part of the Research TopicHarnessing the Medicinal Potential of Gut Microbiota for Human HealthView all 6 articles
Barnesiella intestinihominis improves gut microbiota disruption and intestinal barrier integrity in mice with impaired glucose regulation
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Human Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
- 2Department of Human Parasitology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University,, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
- 3Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
- 4Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Endemic Disease, Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
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Impaired glucose regulation (IGR) is a prediabetic state associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. Our previous metagenomic analysis revealed that Enterobacteriaceae intestinalis (Barnesiella intestinihominis, B. intestinihominis) was significantly deficient in IGR patients (p < 0.01). Here, we investigated its therapeutic potential in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced IGR mouse model. Daily supplementation with B. intestinihominis (1 × 10⁸ CFU for 5 weeks) significantly attenuated hyperglycemia, enhanced the abundance of beneficial Ligilactobacillus, and reduced pathogenic Lachnoclostridium. In addition, it upregulated colonic tight junction proteins (ZO-1 and occludin) and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, while inhibiting pro-inflammatory mediators TNF-α and IL-6. In vitro, B. intestinihominis fermentation broth (10%) increased Caco-2 cell viability, and heat-inactivated bacteria (1 ×10⁷ CFU) increased ZO-1 expression. However, trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and alkaline phosphatase activity were not affected. These findings suggest that intestinal probiotics B. intestinihominis may ameliorate IGR by modulating the gut microbiota, enhancing intestinal barrier integrity, and attenuating inflammation, thus supporting their potential as a therapeutic intervention for metabolic disorders.
Keywords: Barnesiella intestinihominis, Gut Microbiota, Impaired glucose regulation, intestinal barrier, Insulin Resistance
Received: 26 May 2025; Accepted: 19 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Wang, Huang, Jiao, Guan and Nuli. 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: Rebiya Nuli, rabux@xjmu.edu.cn
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