Cross-species fecal microbiota transplantation alters the carbohydrate metabolic phenotype: insights from Gansu zokor (Eospalax cansus)

The Gansu zokor (Eospalax cansus), a subterranean rodent endemic to China, exhibits remarkable adaptability to hypoxic conditions. Although it is known that the gut microbiota of Gansu zokor undergoes changes under hypoxia, thereby influencing carbohydrate metabolism, it remains unclear whether such a hypoxia adaptation mechanism can be simulated in surface-dwelling animals. In this study, we established a cross-species fecal microbiota transplantation model from Gansu zokor to SD rats to investigate carbohydrate metabolic adaptations under hypoxia. Using 16 S rRNA sequencing, we characterized the features of gut microbiota. Furthermore, we examined molecular markers associated with glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle in the liver and brain of SD rats exposed to prolonged hypoxia. The results demonstrated that fecal microbiota transplantation altered the composition of gut microbiota in SD rats, leading to modifications in carbohydrate metabolic networks in the liver and brain under prolonged hypoxia. This shift rendered their carbohydrate metabolic patterns more similar to those observed in Gansu zokor. In conclusion, this study provides new evidence supporting the role of gut microbiota in hypoxia adaptation in subterranean rodent and offers a valuable animal model reference for the treatment of hypoxia-induced injuries via fecal microbiota transplantation.