Frontiers in Microbiology最新文献

{"title":"Stir-baked <i>Xanthii fructus</i> ameliorates adjuvant arthritis by regulating gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids and metabolites.","authors":"Xinyuan Cui, Zhaoqi Ding, Yujie Ji, Jiale Liu, Zenghui Chang, Junshuo Zhang, Xinyi Wang, Kai Liu, Yuanyuan Liu","doi":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1599529","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1599529","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a common and widespread autoimmune disease whose incidence is increasing. Stir-baked Xanthii fructus (XF) is used to treat RA in clinic. However, it's <i>in vivo</i> efficacy and mechanistic pathways remain unclear. This study aimed to explored XF's therapeutic effects and its mechanisms by comprehensive serum metabolomics and gut microbiota analysis.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The components in XF were identified using the UPLC-MS technique. A rat model of adjuvant arthritis was established using complete Freund's adjuvant to evaluate the efficacy of XF. The <i>in vivo</i> mechanisms were explored through microbiome, short-chain fatty acid (SCFAs), and metabolomics analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In total, 27 components were identified in XF. The treatment effectively suppressed inflammatory factors and alleviated pannus and cartilage damage. In addition, this article revealed a substantial remodeling of the gut microbiota composition, characterized by a reduced abundance of pro-inflammatory bacteria, increased populations of immunomodulatory bacteria and restored levels of SCFAs. Serum metabolomic profiling identified 17 arthritis-associated metabolites, primarily involved in glycerophospholipid metabolism and bile acid biosynthesis. Then, a strong correlation was found between gut microbiota and serum metabolites, indicating that XF exerts its therapeutic effects through immunomodulation, energy homeostasis regulation, and redox balance maintenance via the gut-joint axis.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This study provides new insights for further research into the targeted therapy of XF to ameliorate adjuvant arthritis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12466,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1599529"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12178575/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144332783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Colonizable probiotic <i>Lactobacillus paracasei</i> R3 enhances ICI therapy <i>via</i> modulating PBMCs differentiation.","authors":"Wencan Song, Jizhen Liu, Jingfang Yang, Tao Chen, Jiayi Zhu, Xia Liu","doi":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1547964","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1547964","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Lactobacillus paracasei</i> R3 (<i>L.p</i> R3) has been reported to be effective to improve anti-tumor therapy for anti-tumor treatment in immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy for colorectal cancer. However, the mechanisms behind this remain unclear. The present study shows that <i>L.p</i> R3 significantly enhanced anti-tumor efficacy ICI therapies in various tumor. Our results also showed the rapid adherence of <i>L.p</i> R3 to intestinal epithelial cell membrane, and promoted intestinal epithelial cell expression of mucin mRNA, led to the long maintenance of <i>L.p</i> R3 in colon and cecum in mice. <i>L.p</i> R3 significantly elevated the levels of macrophages, CD4⁺T cells and CD8⁺T cells in PBMCs while simultaneously decreasing the level of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) on the surface of CD4⁺T cells and CD8⁺T cells. In addition, indole-3-carboxaldehyde, a metabolite of <i>L.p</i> R3 serves as an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) ligand regulating immune responses, was significantly upregulated in the serum of mice orally treated with <i>L.p</i> R3. In summary, our findings provide novel insights into the immune regulation of probiotics in anti-tumor responses and present a potential avenue for <i>L.p</i> R3 in promoting ICI efficacy.</p>","PeriodicalId":12466,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1547964"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174050/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Epidemiological changes in tuberculosis and genotyping characteristics of <i>Mycobacterium Tuberculosis</i> in Ningxia, China.","authors":"Guangtian Liu, Jufen Lv, Linlin Chen, Yinglong Ma, Bofei Liu, Xuefeng Jiang","doi":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1582163","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1582163","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>China is one of the three countries with the largest TB burden globally, with an increased number of patients reported in 2021.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>In this study, we aimed to investigate the epidemiological profile of tuberculosis (TB) and the genotype characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>From 2005 to 2023, to provide a scientific basis for the precise prevention and control of TB. Epidemiological data on TB in Ningxia were obtained from the China Disease Control and Prevention Information System from 2005 to 2023. The temporal trend of TB incidence was assessed using a Joinpoint regression analysis (Joinpoint 5.2.0), and spatial autocorrelation analyses were performed using ArcGIS 10.8. Spoligotyping and McSpoligotyping based on 222 isolated MTB strains.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From 2005 to 2023, 51,345 patients with TB were reported in Ningxia. The incidence of TB decreased from 48.22/100,000 in 2005 to 30.47/100,000 in 2023. Joinpoint analysis showed that the incidence of TB in all age groups exhibited an overall decreasing trend. The incidences were significantly lower among urban residents than among rural residents. A spatial analysis showed that the southern mountainous area had a high incidence, with an average annual incidence of more than 60/100,000 in the Xiji, Lund, and Haiyuan counties, and this showed significant spatial clustering in 2007, 2009, 2014, 2016, and 2018. Genotyping showed that Beijing was the main genotype in Ningxia, accounting for 80.63% of the total (78.26% in 2005-2012 and 83.18% in 2013-2023). A cluster analysis showed that the Beijing type had strong intraregional transmission characteristics. The overall incidence of TB in Ningxia, China, showed a significant downward trend, but the prevalence was high in the southern mountainous regions and rural populations. The high aggregation of Beijing-type genotypes suggests a risk of intra-regional transmission and the need to strengthen surveillance and transmission chain analyses.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>TB incidence in Ningxia declined from 48.22 to 30.47/100,000 (2005-2023), yet remains high in southern mountainous regions. Persistent Beijing-type M. tuberculosis strains dominate, suggesting sustained transmission. Targeted interventions and further molecular studies are needed to enhance control in endemic areas.</p>","PeriodicalId":12466,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1582163"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174406/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolution in a plant matrix: adaptive reshaping of kefir grains microbiota and function during long-term soymilk culture.","authors":"Zhina Chen, Qingqing Li, Fanqi Li, Linlin Yin, La Wang, Tao Ye, Yi Wang, Shengju Fu, Weiming Wang, Xiaochen Huang","doi":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1614639","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1614639","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To explore the adaptability of kefir grains in long-term subculture in soymilk, this study tracked the succession and functional changes of its microbial community over 4 months. High-throughput sequencing results showed that the microbial community structure was drastically reshaped, mainly manifested in the relative abundance of <i>Lacticaseibacillus kefiranofaciens</i> decreasing from 95.00 to 15.70%, while <i>Lacticaseibacillus paracasei</i> increased from 0.32 to 76.94%, becoming the dominant bacteria. Metagenomic analysis indicated that <i>L. paracasei</i> possesses key enzymes for metabolizing raffinose, stachyose and sucrose, which is the basis for its efficient utilization of soymilk oligosaccharides and its competitive advantage. The decrease in the abundance of <i>L. kefiranofaciens</i> was associated with a decrease in the synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS), which in turn caused a reduction in the diameter of kefir grains, an increase in surface viscosity and a partial collapse of the gel matrix structure. The pH and free amino acid content of fermented soymilk did not fluctuate much during the passage process, but the sensory acceptance, antioxidant capacity and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity all showed a downward trend. This work reveals the adaptive evolution mechanism of kefir grains in a plant matrix environment and provides a theoretical basis for the optimization of soymilk fermentation based on limited strains.</p>","PeriodicalId":12466,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1614639"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174429/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325020","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Superior diagnostic performance of Grocott methenamine silver staining in pulmonary cryptococcosis: a multicenter, large-sample cohort study.","authors":"Suijing Wang, Jieyi Lai, Chengyou Zheng, Pengfei Yang, Zhengyi Zhou, Haibo Wu, Mayan Huang, Xinke Zhang, Yongbo Xiao, Jierong Chen, Chao Ma, Keming Chen, Liyan Lin, Huanyu Liu, Yubo Cai, Xiaolei Xue, Zizi Li, Jiewei Chen","doi":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1615057","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1615057","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>In the histopathological diagnosis of pulmonary fungal infections, particularly pulmonary cryptococcosis, the diagnostic performance of different staining techniques varies significantly, often confounding pathologists. This study aims to systematically analyze Grocott methenamine silver (GMS), periodic acid-Schiff (PAS), and alcian blue (AB) staining methods to establish evidence-based diagnostic criteria.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We incorporated histopathological data from 790 cases of pulmonary cryptococcosis that were definitively diagnosed in six tertiary hospitals. Multidimensional statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the performance of GMS, PAS, and AB staining methods.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>GMS staining had a 100% positive diagnostic rate among all cohorts, which was significantly higher than that of PAS staining (93.7%, <i>p <</i> 0.001) and AB staining (75.4%, <i>p <</i> 0.001). Further statistical analyses indicated that GMS was superior to PAS and AB in detecting the number of cryptococci and in demonstrating the staining intensities for both intracellular and extracellular cryptococci (<i>p</i> < 0.001 for all comparisons). In the necrotic cores and peri-necrotic margins of granulomas, GMS more clearly localized cryptococci and detected a higher fungal burden. Even in colonies with minimal polysaccharides in fungal cell walls and capsules, GMS exhibited high sensitivity and provided clear visualization.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>GMS staining is the best method for diagnosing pulmonary cryptococcosis because of its high sensitivity and excellent visualization capabilities. Using GMS alone can meet the requirements for diagnostic accuracy, and we recommend GMS as the gold standard for histopathological confirmation of pulmonary cryptococcosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":12466,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1615057"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174090/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Flow cytometry study of <i>Escherichia coli</i> treated with plasma-activated water: confirming the absence of the viable but non-culturable state in bacteria.","authors":"Rita Agus, Fabio Avino, Aleksandra Lavrikova, Brayden Myers, Ivo Furno","doi":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1592471","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1592471","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plasma-activated water (PAW) is an emerging antimicrobial agent with promising applications in bacterial inactivation. The PAW samples are generated by non-contact exposure of deionized water to a surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma and are characterized by a reactive nitrogen species-rich chemistry. In this work, fluorescence flow cytometry is applied to assess the viability of <i>Escherichia coli</i> treated with PAW. The results indicate that PAW exhibits a strong bactericidal effect, significantly increasing propidium iodide positive populations and leading to cell shrinkage. Comparative colony-forming unit counting confirmed these findings, showing agreement between both techniques and ruling out the possibility of a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) bacteria state. These results underscore the potential of the PAW samples produced with the present setup for safe decontamination applications, while also offering insights into the mechanisms of bacterial inactivation.</p>","PeriodicalId":12466,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1592471"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174395/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Uncovering antibiotic resistance: extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> from dipteran flies in residential dumping and livestock environments.","authors":"Lara de Wet, Itumeleng Matle, Oriel Thekisoe, Kgaugelo E Lekota, Tsepo Ramatla","doi":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1586811","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1586811","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong><i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> poses challenges in clinical and environmental contexts due to its capacity to colonize natural ecosystems and antibiotic resistance. This study characterized <i>P. aeruginosa</i> harboured by Diptera flies collected from illegal residential dumping sites and livestock (cattle, sheep, and goats) kraals in Potchefstroom, South Africa.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The <i>P. aeruginosa</i> isolates were characterized using classical microbiological tests and species-specific <i>gyrase B</i> gene PCR assay. Antibiotic resistance (AR) was assessed on the isolates using disc diffusion assay (DDA). Additionally, PCR screened six virulence genes (<i>exoS</i>, <i>plcN</i>, <i>plcH</i>, <i>toxA</i>, <i>lasB</i>, and <i>algD</i>) among the isolates. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) was employed to confirm the identity and determine antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) on selected isolates.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Culture-based and molecular assays showed that <i>P. aeruginosa</i> is prevalent in Diptera flies (<i>Hemipyrellia</i> spp., <i>Synthesiomya</i> spp., <i>Chrysomya</i> spp., <i>Sarchophagidae</i> spp., and <i>Tabanus</i> spp.) from livestock kraals (75%; <i>n</i> = 36/48) and dumping sites (48%; <i>n</i> = 23/48). The most detected virulent gene among the isolates was <i>exoS</i> (96.6%), followed by <i>plcN</i> and <i>algD</i> genes (83.1%), <i>lasB</i> (81.4%), <i>toxA</i> (76.3%), and <i>plcH</i> (47.5%). All <i>P. aeruginosa</i> isolates were resistant to metronidazole, sulphamethoxazole, cefazolin and amoxicillin based on DDA. The sulfonamide resistance <i>sulI</i> gene (88.1%) was the most detected ARG from the <i>P. aeruginosa</i> isolates, followed by <i>acc(3)-IV</i> (80.6%) coding for aminoglycoside. WGS revealed that <i>P. aeruginosa</i> isolates belong to the sequence type (ST3808), which is multidrug-resistant and contains ARGs for fosfomycin (<i>fosA</i>), ampicillin (<i>bla</i> _OXA-50), chloramphenicol (<i>catB7</i>), beta-lactamase (<i>bla</i> _PAO), and aminoglycoside (<i>aph(3')-IIb</i>).</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>This study isolated ESBL-producing <i>P. aeruginosa</i> from various Diptera fly species collected from livestock kraals and residential dumping sites. This bacterium is important to \"One Health\" due to its multidrug resistance character and zoonotic nature. As a result, it requires consolidated control and management policies from the environmental, veterinary, and human health sectors.</p>","PeriodicalId":12466,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1586811"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174077/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144324993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Water metagenomes reflect physicochemical water quality throughout a model agricultural pond.","authors":"Ryan A Blaustein, Jaclyn E Smith, Magaly Toro, Yakov Pachepsky, Matthew D Stocker","doi":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1535096","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1535096","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Agricultural ponds are essential irrigation resources, though may also serve as reservoirs for pathogens and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes. While monitoring microbiological water quality is critical for food safety, the influence of sampling factors (e.g., when and where to collect samples) in making risk assessments and potential applications for using environmental covariates as indicators remain unclear. Here, we explored the hypothesis that metagenomes of agricultural waters change with spatiotemporal shifts in physicochemical water quality, i.e., across water depths over time. Water samples and underlying sediments were collected at a model pond at the surface and within the water column (0, 1, 2 m depths) throughout one day (i.e., 9:00, 12:00, 15:00). All samples were processed for shotgun metagenomic sequencing analysis and enumeration of various water quality parameters (e.g., temperature, nutrient concentrations, turbidity, pH, culturable <i>Escherichia coli</i>). At the pond surface, <i>Microcystis aeruginosa</i> and members of Cyanobacteria, along with genes encoding pathways related to photosynthesis and nucleotide biosynthesis, were enriched throughout the day. In contrast, within the water column (1-2 m depths) and sediments, diverse members of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria were more dominant, along with encoded pathways related to respiration and amino acid biosynthesis. Various aspects of water quality (i.e., chlorophyll dissolved organic matter, ammonia, <i>E. coli</i> concentrations) correlated with water metagenome diversity, albeit not with any specific AMR genes or virulence factors. Nevertheless, <i>de novo</i> assembly of sequenced reads uncovered 22 unique strains encoding several AMR, virulence, or stress response genetic elements, thus linking metagenome functional potential to key taxa. Overall, our findings highlight distinctions in agricultural pond water metagenomes at the surface and in the water column and demonstrate the potential for metagenomic surveillance in water quality monitoring to support food safety.</p>","PeriodicalId":12466,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1535096"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174113/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144324994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Zuojinwan ameliorates depressive-like behavior and gastrointestinal dysfunction in mice by modulating the FXR-bile acid-gut microbiota pathway.","authors":"Dan Qiao, Bo Chen, Yuzhen Huang, Kunhan Su, Hao Wu, Weiwei Tao, Wanli Liu","doi":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1576799","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1576799","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Zuojinwan (ZJW), a traditional herbal formulation, is widely applied in the management of depression and gastrointestinal dysfunction. However, its underlying mechanisms remain inadequately characterized. This study investigated the antidepressant and gastrointestinal modulatory effects of ZJW via the bile acid-gut microbiota axis. A murine model exhibiting both depressive-like behavior and gastrointestinal disturbances was induced through chronic social defeat stress (CSDS). Antidepressant efficacy was evaluated using a battery of behavioral assessments, while gastrointestinal function was assessed by measuring total gastrointestinal transit time, colonic motility, gastric residual volume, and small intestine propulsion rate. Bile acid (BA) levels in the brain, gut, and serum were quantified using UPLC-MS/MS, and gut microbiota composition was analyzed via 16S rRNA sequencing. Histopathological examination and Western blotting (WB) were employed to assess tissue integrity and FXR protein expression, respectively. ZJW markedly ameliorated depressive behaviors and gastrointestinal dysfunction, concurrently mitigating intestinal and hippocampal neuronal damage. Treatment enhanced FXR expression, altered BA profiles, and enriched gut microbial diversity. Notably, co-treatment with the FXR inhibitor (Z)-Guggulsterone diminished the therapeutic effects of ZJW, underscoring the role of FXR signaling. These findings suggest that ZJW exerts its therapeutic benefits by activating FXR, modulating bile acid metabolism, and reshaping the gut microbiota.</p>","PeriodicalId":12466,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1576799"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12175004/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144324995","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"<i>Bacillus cereus</i> in food safety: a bibliometric analysis.","authors":"Muhammad-Ehtesham Abdul, Enrico Pavoni","doi":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1574802","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fmicb.2025.1574802","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Bacillus cereus</i>, a spore-forming pathogen, poses significant food safety risks due to its prevalence in diverse food matrices and ability to produce emetic and diarrheal toxins. This study presents the first bibliometric analysis of global research on <i>B. cereus</i> in food safety, examining 898 Scopus-indexed articles (2000-2024). Data were extracted using the search query \"<i>Bacillus cereus</i>\" OR \"<i>B. cereus</i>\" AND \"Food Safety\" in titles/abstracts, followed by quantitative and visual analyses via VOSviewer and the bibliometrix R-package. Metrics included annual growth rates, citation trends, country/institution contributions, and keyword co-occurrence. Collaborative networks and author productivity were mapped using co-authorship analysis. Results revealed an 8.29% annual publication growth, with China (38.86%), South Korea (22.05%), and the United States (18.26%) as leading contributors. Citation analysis highlighted seminal works on pathogenicity (e.g., enterotoxins, antimicrobial resistance), while keyword co-occurrence identified emerging themes such as virulence genes, cereulide, and sustainable mitigation strategies (e.g., probiotics, bacteriocins). Critical gaps persist in understanding <i>B. cereus</i> behavior in novel food matrices (e.g., plant-based alternatives) and the efficacy of emerging preservation technologies. This analysis underscores the need for interdisciplinary approaches integrating genomics, food science, and public health to address risks in global supply chains. The findings provide a roadmap for future research, advocating for advanced surveillance, innovative interventions, and policy refinement to combat this resilient pathogen.</p>","PeriodicalId":12466,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Microbiology","volume":"16 ","pages":"1574802"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12174431/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144325014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}