Gut-Microbiota-Derived Butyric Acid Overload Contributes to Ileal Mucosal Barrier Damage in Late Phase of Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress Mice

Intestinal mucosal barrier damage is regarded as the critical factor through which chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) leads to a variety of physical and mental health problems. However, the exact mechanism by which CUMS induces intestinal mucosal barrier damage is unclear. In this study, 14, 28, and 42 d CUMS model mice were established. The indicators related to ileal mucosal barrier damage (IMBD), the composition of the ileal microbiota and its amino acid (AA) and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) metabolic functions, and free amino acid (FAA) and SCFA levels in the ileal lumen were measured before and after each stress period. The correlations between them are analyzed to investigate how CUMS induces intestinal mucosal barrier damage in male C57BL/6 mice. With the progression of CUMS, butyric acid (BA) levels decreased (14 and 28 d) and then increased (42 d), and IMBD progressively increased. In the late CUMS stage (42 d), the degree of IMBD is most severe and positively correlated with significantly increased BA levels (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in the ileal lumen and negatively correlated with significantly decreased FAAs, such as aspartic, glutamic, alanine, and glycine levels (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In the ileal lumen, the abundance of BA-producing bacteria (<i>Muribaculaceae</i>, <i>Ruminococcus</i>, and <i>Butyricicoccus</i>) and the gene abundance of specific AA degradation and BA production pathways and their related enzymes are significantly increased (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In addition, there is a significant decrease (<i>p</i> < 0.05) in the abundance of core bacteria (<i>Prevotella</i>, <i>Lactobacillus</i>, <i>Turicibacter</i>, <i>Blautia</i>, and <i>Barnesiella</i>) that rely on these specific AAs for growth and/or are sensitive to BA. These changes, in turn, promote further colonization of BA-producing bacteria, exacerbating the over-accumulation of BA in the ileal lumen. These results were validated by ileal microbiota in vitro culture experiments. In summary, in the late CUMS stages, IMBD is related to an excessive accumulation of BA caused by dysbiosis of the ileal microbiota and its overactive AA degradation.