Journal article
"Gut microbiome-mediated nutrients alter opportunistic bacterial growth in peritonitis"
American journal of physiology: Gastrointestinal and liver physiology, Vol.329(6), pp.G747-G758
12/2025
DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00132.2025
PMCID: PMC12693723
PMID: 41191326
Abstract
Peritonitis is a well-known complication of bowel perforation and abdominal surgery, leading to sepsis and high mortality. Despite its prevalence and severity, the pathogenesis of peritonitis remains incompletely understood, limiting our ability to develop targeted medical therapies. Specifically, little is known about the determinants of the peritoneal nutrient environment for pathogens. The gut microbiome is a well-established source of infectious bacteria in peritonitis, but whether it also modulates levels of nutrients that enable and sustain these infections remains unknown. Using multiple murine models of peritonitis (lipopolysaccharide, cecal slurry), multiple methods of microbiome modulation (germ-free mice and antibiotic-treated mice), novel
modeling of peritonitis, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomics of the peritoneal microenvironment, we performed a series of experiments to determine how the gut microbiome influences peritoneal metabolite concentration during peritonitis. We found that both lipopolysaccharide and cecal slurry peritonitis caused consistent changes in high-abundance peritoneal metabolites, and that many of these changes were blunted or completely abrogated in antibiotic-treated and germ-free mice. Moreover, we found that peritoneal washings from septic, microbiome-depleted animals supported less bacterial growth of common intra abdominal pathogens compared to washings from septic conventional animals. We identified the peritoneal nutrients consumed by two common pathogens from the
family, and found that supplementation of gut microbiome-mediated nutrients was sufficient to alter bacterial growth in an
model. Taken together, we identify the gut microbiome as a key driver of the peritoneal nutrient environment, mediating pathogen growth. These findings suggest microbiome-targeted therapies could mitigate peritonitis risk.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- "Gut microbiome-mediated nutrients alter opportunistic bacterial growth in peritonitis"
- Creators
- Kale S Bongers - University of IowaThomas L Flott - University of MichiganLarisa Yeomans - University of MichiganLilian Maynard - Michigan MedicineMark D Adame - Michigan MedicineNicole R Falkowski - Michigan MedicineRoderick A McDonald - Michigan MedicineAnnastasia Petouhoff - Michigan MedicineJennifer M Baker - University of MichiganMichael McLellan - Michigan MedicineLauren L Aragones - University of MichiganJaKyla Kaniaru - University of IowaBenjamin H Singer - Michigan MedicineRobert P Dickson - Michigan MedicineKathleen A Stringer - University of Michigan
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- American journal of physiology: Gastrointestinal and liver physiology, Vol.329(6), pp.G747-G758
- DOI
- 10.1152/ajpgi.00132.2025
- PMID
- 41191326
- PMCID
- PMC12693723
- NLM abbreviation
- Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol
- ISSN
- 1522-1547
- eISSN
- 1522-1547
- Publisher
- American Physiological Society
- Grant note
- R01AG074968 / HHS | NIH | National Institute on Aging (NIA) K24HL159247 / HHS | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) F31HL158033 / HHS | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) R35GM136312 / HHS | NIH | National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) T32HL007749 / HHS | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) R01HL144599 / HHS | NIH | National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) K08AR083015 / HHS | NIH | National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 11/05/2025
- Date published
- 12/2025
- Academic Unit
- Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9985024250302771
Metrics
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