Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40260682›Full record

ArticleCNS neuroscience & therapeutics2025

Gut Microbial Tryptophan Metabolism Is Involved in Post-Cardiac Arrest Brain Injury via Pyroptosis Modulation.

Chenghao Wu, Mengyuan Diao, Shuhang Yu, Shaosong Xi, Zhipeng Zheng, Yang Cao, Shuai Wang, Ying Zhu, Mao Zhang, Wei Hu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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  3. Review
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  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Chenghao WuDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0001-5449-9765
Mengyuan DiaoDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
Shuhang YuDepartment of Intensive Care Unit, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Shaosong XiDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
Zhipeng ZhengDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Yang CaoDepartment of Neurosurgery, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
Shuai WangDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
Ying ZhuDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
Mao ZhangDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Wei HuDepartment of Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0001-7113-9040

Funding

Construction Fund of Medical Key Disciplines of Hangzhou OO20200485Medical and Health Technology Project of Hangzhou Z20220026National Natural Science Foundation of China 82472236
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsPost-cardiac arrest brain injury (PCABI) is a leading cause of death in cardiac arrest/cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CA/CPR) victims and long-term disability in CA/CPR survivors. Despite previous evidence indicating that the microbiota-gut-brain axis is critically involved in many neurological disorders, no research has hitherto established a connection between the gut microbiota and PCABI through this axis. This study aims to explore the biological roles of microbial tryptophan metabolites in the progression of PCABI.

methodsTo achieve this, we pretreated rats with a cocktail of broad-spectrum antibiotics (Abx) to eradicate the gut microbiota before establishing a 7-min asphyxia-CA/CPR model.

resultsRemarkably, the 24-h survival rate and neurological outcomes improved in Abx/CPR rats. Fecal 16s rDNA sequencing and PICRUSt2 analysis revealed that Abx reshaped the microbial community and elevated the proportion of microbial tryptophan metabolism in rats. Metabolomic profiling suggested that Abx shifted the phenotype of microbial tryptophan metabolism from the indole pathway to the kynurenine pathway, thereby increasing the levels of the neuroprotective metabolite kynurenine in the feces, circulation, and ultimately the brain. Furthermore, the hippocampal expression of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), an endogenous receptor of kynurenine, was upregulated in Abx/CPR rats. In vitro experiments further demonstrated that the neuroprotective effects of kynurenine are AhR-dependent and that AhR activation could negatively regulate the NLRP3 protein expression. Supporting this, results from qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and immunofluorescence in the rat cerebral cortex exhibited that L-kynurenine inhibited NLRP3-induced pyroptosis.

conclusionsOur study provides a direct clue to the essential participation of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in the progression of PCABI. It demonstrates that kynurenine might attenuate PCABI by inhibiting NLRP3-induced pyroptosis.

Indexed as

Brain InjuriesGastrointestinal MicrobiomeHeart ArrestPyroptosisTryptophanAnimalsAnti-Bacterial AgentsCardiopulmonary ResuscitationMaleRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyAnti-Bacterial AgentsTryptophanaryl hydrocarbon receptorcardiac arrestcerebral ischemia–reperfusion injurygut microbiotaL‐kynureninepyroptosis

Identifiers

PMID40260682
PMCPMC12012640

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.