Effects of GLP-1 receptor agonist on changes in the gut bacterium and the underlying mechanisms

There is a close relationship between the gut microbiota and metabolic disorders. In this study, acute administration of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) liraglutide to mice increased the cecal levels of caseinolytic protease B, a component of Escherichia coli, and of norepinephrine. Chemical sympathectomy blocked these events. Norepinephrine was found to pass into the intestinal lumen in vitro. c-Fos staining of the intermediolateral nucleus was identified as indirect evidence of sympathetic nervous system activation of the intestinal tract by GLP-1RA. Under normal conditions, the increase in E. coli did not affect the host. However, in mice with colitis, bacterial translocation was observed with attenuation of tight junction gene expression. This is the first study to investigate the unique underlying mechanisms related the effects of GLP-1RA on changes in the gut bacterium.