Akkermansia muciniphila Colonization Alleviating High Fructose and Restraint Stress-Induced Jejunal Mucosal Barrier Disruption

Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) is a mucin-degrading bacterium that resides in the mucus layer, but its potential in intestinal inflammatory diseases has sparked controversy. It is well known that both the consumption of fructose-containing beverages and psychological stress increase the risk of intestinal disease. Our results revealed that a high-fructose diet aggravated the damage to the jejunal mucosal barrier caused by restraint stress, reduced tight junction protein expression and the intestinal digestion and absorption capacity, disrupted the ability of Paneth cells to secrete antimicrobial peptides, and promoted the expression of inflammatory cytokines. A. muciniphila colonization enhanced the defense function of the mucosal barrier by enhancing the function of the NLRP6, promoting autophagy, maintaining the normal secretion of antimicrobial peptides in Paneth cells, promoting the expression of tight junction proteins, negatively regulating the NF-kB signaling pathway and inhibiting the expression of inflammatory cytokines. Our work indicates that A. muciniphila ameliorates the disruption of the intestinal mucosal barrier under high fructose and restraint stress. These results provided a rationale for the development of probiotic colonization for the prevention or treatment of intestinal diseases.