Clostridium butyricum-derived extracellular vesicles alleviate ETEC K88-induced intestinal injury by regulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling and gut microbiota.

Authors

Huiru Chen, Ningtao Chen, Shuang Liang, Lingyan Ma, Nana Jing, Yingping Xiao, Ying Ren, Haiqin Wu

Published in

Applied and environmental microbiology. Pages e0042426. Aug 28, 2026. Epub Aug 28, 2026.

Abstract

Probiotic-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) serve as crucial mediators that alleviate intestinal barrier dysfunction. As a well-established probiotic, Clostridium butyricum (Cb) has been shown to ameliorate ETEC K88-induced intestinal injury. Nevertheless, the potential role of Cb-derived EVs (CbEVs) in ETEC K88-induced intestinal injury has not yet been elucidated. This study showed that CbEVs effectively ameliorated ETEC K88-induced ileal injury, as evidenced by improved ileal morphology and reduced levels of proinflammatory cytokines, diamine oxidase, and malondialdehyde. Mechanistically, CbEVs activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling, thereby accelerating the renewal of intestinal epithelial cell lineages, which is pivotal for maintaining intestinal homeostasis. In parallel, they also reshaped the ileal microbiota by restoring microbial balance. Collectively, these findings demonstrated that CbEVs alleviated ETEC K88-induced ileal barrier dysfunction by coordinating the restoration of intestinal stem cell (ISC) activity and gut microbiota composition, providing a theoretical basis for developing CbEV-based strategies to prevent ETEC-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction in both humans and animals.IMPORTANCEETEC infection-induced intestinal injury continues to pose a significant threat to human and livestock health, while effective preventive strategies remain limited. This study demonstrates that extracellular vesicles derived from the probiotic Clostridium butyricum accelerate intestinal epithelial regeneration by activating Wnt/β-catenin signaling and restoring gut microbiota homeostasis, thereby conferring protection against ETEC-induced intestinal injury. These findings provide a solid scientific basis for the development of Clostridium butyricum-derived extracellular vesicles as a promising non-viable probiotic (postbiotic) strategy to prevent intestinal infections, thereby offering a safer and more stable alternative to live bacteria in functional foods and feed additives.

PMID:
42663499
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 28 Aug 2026.

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