Mechanistic insights into the role of Bifidobacterium breve CCFM1078 in Regulating Rheumatoid Arthritis across the Gut-Joint Axis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease which has been associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis. Previous studies have demonstrated that Bifidobacterium breve CCFM1078 can restore this impairment associated with arthritis with enhanced efficacy during short-term intervention. In addition, the strain alleviated inflammation and joint pain in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats and was associated with a modulation of the gut microbiota composition. Multi-omics integration revealed CCFM1078 is related to the restoration of plasma exosomes miR-483-5p levels, which directly suppressed TUBG2 expression in the joint tissues via complementary base pairing. This regulation was found to further attenuate PI3K-Akt signaling and pyroptosis pathways, thereby preserving articular homeostasis. Pilot trial validation in patients with RA confirmed reduced disease activity and inflammatory biomarkers following B. breve CCFM1078 supplementation, along with increased relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and improved bone metabolism. Our findings establish B. breve CCFM1078 as a potential dietary adjuvant for RA management, highlighting a novel gut-joint axis mechanism through microbial-epigenetic interactions.