Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis BX-BC08 modulates gut microbiota and secretes alpha-Ketoglutaric acid to alleviate MC903-induced atopic dermatitis

OBJECTIVE: Bifidobacterium is known to be depleted in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). This study aims to investigate the potential prophylactic effects of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BX-BC08 (B. lactis BX-BC08) in a murine model of AD. DESIGN: The immunosuppressive and anti-inflammatory effects of BX-BC08 were evaluated in a MC903-induced AD mouse model. Gut microbiota composition was analyzed by metagenomic sequencing, while high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) was employed to identify anti-inflammatory molecules produced by B. lactis BX-BC08. RESULTS: BX-BC08 significantly attenuated pro-inflammatory responses, scaling and swelling in the MC903-induced AD like murine model compared to controls. Fecal microbial profiling revealed an enrichment of probiotics and a reduction of pro-inflammatory bacteria in BX-BC08 treated mice. Metabolic analysis of BX-BC08 bacteria culture supernatant and treated mice identified a significant enrichment of alpha-Ketoglutaric acid (AKG). Functional validation in the murine AD model demonstrated that AKG strongly suppressed T helper 2 (Th2)-driven pro-inflammatory responses. CONCLUSION: BX-BC08 mitigates AD-like inflammation by producing the anti-inflammatory metabolite AKG. BX-BC08 could serve as a novel prophylactic agent for AD prevention.