Objective: To investigate whether Lactobacillus reuteri Y7 attenuates motor and non-motor impairments in a 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat model of Parkinson’s disease (PD), and to explore potential gut–brain–metabolic mechanisms underlying these effects.

Background: PD is increasingly recognized as a multisystem disorder involving dopaminergic neurodegeneration, motor dysfunction, gastrointestinal impairment, cognitive decline, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and gut dysregulation. Probiotic-based interventions may modulate these interconnected pathways, but their effects in PD remain insufficiently characterized.

Method: Male Sprague–Dawley rats received unilateral 6-OHDA injection into the medial forebrain bundle and were assigned to control, PD, or PD with oral Lactobacillus reuteri Y7 supplementation for 10 weeks. Behavioral assessments included apomorphine-induced rotation, rotarod, grip strength, CatWalk gait analysis, fecal parameters, and Morris water maze testing. Dopaminergic integrity, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, inflammation, neurotrophic signaling, intestinal barrier markers, body composition, and selected circulating and fecal metabolites were evaluated.

Results: Y7 supplementation attenuated nigrostriatal dopaminergic loss and improved motor performance across multiple behavioral tests in PD rats. Y7 also improved fecal output, fecal moisture, and spatial learning, and enhanced colonic tight junction-related gene expression. In parallel, Y7 was associated with improved mitochondrial function in brain and soleus muscle, increased antioxidant defenses, reduced circulating inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, and upregulation of striatal neurotrophic factor-related genes. Y7 additionally ameliorated PD-associated alterations in muscle mass, fat mass, bone mineral density, serum biochemical profiles, and selected microbe-related metabolites, including branched-chain amino acids and indole derivatives. Fecal short-chain fatty acid levels were not significantly changed.

Conclusion: Lactobacillus reuteri Y7 exerts broad protective effects in 6-OHDA-induced PD, improving both motor and non-motor features while modulating gut barrier, inflammation, mitochondrial function, antioxidant capacity, and metabolite profiles. These findings support probiotic-based gut–brain–metabolic modulation as a promising adjunctive strategy for PD.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/lactobacillus-reuteri-y7-improves-motor-and-non-motor-features-through-gut-brain-metabolic-modulation-in-a-6-ohda-rat-model-of-parkinsons-disease/