Wild mouse-derived gut microbiome transplantation in laboratory mice alleviates house dust mite-induced allergic airway inflammation
Specific pathogen free (SPF) mice lack the diverse microbiota commonly found in wild mice. We aimed to investigate the immunomodulatory influence of wild mouse derived gut microbiome transplantation on SPF mice. We examined the effects on allergic airway inflammation, immune cell populations, mucosal barrier function, and the cecal metabolomic metabolite profiles. Our study revealed that wild mouse derived gut microbiome recipient SPF BALB/c mice exhibited reduced allergic airway inflammation and decreased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines compared to SPF mice, indicating the immunomodulating influence of the wild mouse-derived microbiome. We did not detect significant differences in immune cell populations in the blood. However, the expression of muc1 in the small intestine, a gene associated with mucosal barrier function, was significantly higher in the wild-recipient mice, indicating an improvement in intestinal integrity. Metabolomics analysis revealed distinct metabolic profiles associated with the wild-derived microbiome and significant differences in the concentration of several cecal metabolites, with some specific metabolites contributing to the separation clusters between the recipient groups. Univariate regression analysis identified differences in cecal metabolites, indicating significant metabolic variations between the wild-recipient and SPF-recipient mice. These findings demonstrate that wild-derived microbiome transplantation modulates immune responses, influences mucosal barrier function, and leads to distinct metabolic activities.