Lactobacillus reuteri E9 Regulates Sleep Disorders Through Its Metabolite GABA

Background: Insomnia, the most prevalent sleep disorder, is clinically defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. Although many medications are effective for insomnia treatment, they carry risks of drug dependence and abuse. The microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA) facilit...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yongcheng Jiang, Lina Guo, Houde He, Haonan Chen, Tao Chen, Yan Liu, Wang Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IMR Press 2025-06-01
Series:Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.imrpress.com/journal/FBL/30/6/10.31083/FBL39587
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849416565457420288
author Yongcheng Jiang
Lina Guo
Houde He
Haonan Chen
Tao Chen
Yan Liu
Wang Zhao
author_facet Yongcheng Jiang
Lina Guo
Houde He
Haonan Chen
Tao Chen
Yan Liu
Wang Zhao
author_sort Yongcheng Jiang
collection DOAJ
description Background: Insomnia, the most prevalent sleep disorder, is clinically defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. Although many medications are effective for insomnia treatment, they carry risks of drug dependence and abuse. The microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA) facilitates bidirectional signaling between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system via gut microbes. Probiotics that provide mental and behavioral benefits through MGBA (psychobiotics) offer broad therapeutic potential. Methods: A non-toxic, drug-resistant strain of Lactobacillus reuteri E9 was isolated and characterized. Its effects were evaluated in a pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced zebrafish model of sleep disorder. Neurotransmitter levels (glycine, serine, taurine, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)) and gene expression of GABA/melatonin receptors were analyzed. Results: E9 significantly upregulated inhibitory neurotransmitters, including GABA, taurine, glycine, and serine (p < 0.05). In PTZ-induced zebrafish, E9 exerted sedative effects by reducing seizures and hyperactivity. Concurrently, E9 upregulated the expression of GABA receptor genes and melatonin receptor (Mtnr1aa) genes in zebrafish neural tissue. Conclusions: Lactobacillus reuteri E9 demonstrates potential as a psychobiotic for sleep disorder management by modulating key inhibitory neurotransmitters and sleep-related receptor expression via the MGBA pathway, offering a non-pharmacological alternative to conventional treatments.
format Article
id doaj-art-3ce6ddfaff8540c1b265456425fbacda
institution Kabale University
issn 2768-6701
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher IMR Press
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark
spelling doaj-art-3ce6ddfaff8540c1b265456425fbacda2025-08-20T03:33:08ZengIMR PressFrontiers in Bioscience-Landmark2768-67012025-06-013063958710.31083/FBL39587S2768-6701(25)01763-0Lactobacillus reuteri E9 Regulates Sleep Disorders Through Its Metabolite GABAYongcheng Jiang0Lina Guo1Houde He2Haonan Chen3Tao Chen4Yan Liu5Wang Zhao6Neurology Department, The People's Hospital of Chizhou, 247100 Chizhou, Anhui, ChinaClinical Nutrition Department, Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine, 510030 Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Southern Medical University, 528305 Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaThe First Clinical Medical School, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, 510006 Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaResearch and Development Center, Center of Human Microecology Engineering and Technology of Guangdong Province, 510700 Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaResearch and Development Center, Center of Human Microecology Engineering and Technology of Guangdong Province, 510700 Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaNeurology Department, The People's Hospital of Chizhou, 247100 Chizhou, Anhui, ChinaBackground: Insomnia, the most prevalent sleep disorder, is clinically defined as difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep. Although many medications are effective for insomnia treatment, they carry risks of drug dependence and abuse. The microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA) facilitates bidirectional signaling between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system via gut microbes. Probiotics that provide mental and behavioral benefits through MGBA (psychobiotics) offer broad therapeutic potential. Methods: A non-toxic, drug-resistant strain of Lactobacillus reuteri E9 was isolated and characterized. Its effects were evaluated in a pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced zebrafish model of sleep disorder. Neurotransmitter levels (glycine, serine, taurine, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)) and gene expression of GABA/melatonin receptors were analyzed. Results: E9 significantly upregulated inhibitory neurotransmitters, including GABA, taurine, glycine, and serine (p < 0.05). In PTZ-induced zebrafish, E9 exerted sedative effects by reducing seizures and hyperactivity. Concurrently, E9 upregulated the expression of GABA receptor genes and melatonin receptor (Mtnr1aa) genes in zebrafish neural tissue. Conclusions: Lactobacillus reuteri E9 demonstrates potential as a psychobiotic for sleep disorder management by modulating key inhibitory neurotransmitters and sleep-related receptor expression via the MGBA pathway, offering a non-pharmacological alternative to conventional treatments.https://www.imrpress.com/journal/FBL/30/6/10.31083/FBL39587lactobacillus reuterigamma-aminobutyric acidsleep disorderszebrafish
spellingShingle Yongcheng Jiang
Lina Guo
Houde He
Haonan Chen
Tao Chen
Yan Liu
Wang Zhao
Lactobacillus reuteri E9 Regulates Sleep Disorders Through Its Metabolite GABA
Frontiers in Bioscience-Landmark
lactobacillus reuteri
gamma-aminobutyric acid
sleep disorders
zebrafish
title Lactobacillus reuteri E9 Regulates Sleep Disorders Through Its Metabolite GABA
title_full Lactobacillus reuteri E9 Regulates Sleep Disorders Through Its Metabolite GABA
title_fullStr Lactobacillus reuteri E9 Regulates Sleep Disorders Through Its Metabolite GABA
title_full_unstemmed Lactobacillus reuteri E9 Regulates Sleep Disorders Through Its Metabolite GABA
title_short Lactobacillus reuteri E9 Regulates Sleep Disorders Through Its Metabolite GABA
title_sort lactobacillus reuteri e9 regulates sleep disorders through its metabolite gaba
topic lactobacillus reuteri
gamma-aminobutyric acid
sleep disorders
zebrafish
url https://www.imrpress.com/journal/FBL/30/6/10.31083/FBL39587
work_keys_str_mv AT yongchengjiang lactobacillusreuterie9regulatessleepdisordersthroughitsmetabolitegaba
AT linaguo lactobacillusreuterie9regulatessleepdisordersthroughitsmetabolitegaba
AT houdehe lactobacillusreuterie9regulatessleepdisordersthroughitsmetabolitegaba
AT haonanchen lactobacillusreuterie9regulatessleepdisordersthroughitsmetabolitegaba
AT taochen lactobacillusreuterie9regulatessleepdisordersthroughitsmetabolitegaba
AT yanliu lactobacillusreuterie9regulatessleepdisordersthroughitsmetabolitegaba
AT wangzhao lactobacillusreuterie9regulatessleepdisordersthroughitsmetabolitegaba