16S rRNA sequencing of gut microbiota in spinal cord injury model
This project investigates how microbiota-derived tryptophan metabolites influence gut pathology following SCI. The study's goals are to define injury-induced alterations in gut microbial communities and fecal metabolite profiles using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and metabolomic analyses, and to determine whether metabolite supplementation mitigates gut barrier disruption, inflammatory signaling, and downstream tissue remodeling in the colon. These data are relevant for understanding the gut-metabolome-spinal cord axis and for developing microbiota-targeted therapies to improve recovery and reduce gastrointestinal complications after spinal cord injury.