Gut commensal bacterium Bacteroides vulgatus exacerbates helminth-induced cardiac fibrosis through succinate accumulation.

ABSTRACT: Trichinella spiralis (Ts) is known to cause cardiac fibrosis, which is a critical precursor to various heart diseases, and its progression is influenced by metabolic changes. However, the metabolic mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we observed that Ts-infected mice exhibited cardiac fibrosis along with elevated succinate levels in the heart using metabolomic analysis. Administration of succinate exacerbated fibrosis during Ts infection, while deficiency in succinate receptor 1 (Sucnr1) alleviated the condition, highlighting the role of the succinate-Sucnr1 axis in fibrosis development. Furthermore, metagenomics sequencing showed that Ts-infected mice had a higher abundance ratio of succinate-producing bacteria to succinate-consuming bacteria in the intestines. Notably, the succinate-produce

SUBMITTER: Wang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12002503 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature