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Microbiome-targeted Alzheimer's interventions via gut-brain axis
Ruiqi Qin, Chaofan Li, Xingxing Yuan, Yinghua Chen. Frontiers in microbiology, 2025-12-05
Topic: Gut, metabolism and diet
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder with limited treatment options, underscoring the need for novel therapeutic targets. The gut-brain axis has emerged as a critical bidirectional communication system, with growing evidence establishing gut dysbiosis as a causal factor in AD pathogenesis. This dysbiosis, characterized by a reduction in beneficial microbes and an increase in pro-inflammatory taxa, compromises intestinal and blood-brain barrier integrity, promoting systemic inflammation and the translocation of neurotoxic agents like lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Consequently, the balance of key microbial metabolites is disrupted, reducing neuroprotective short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and indoles while elevating inflammatory mediators, which collectively exacerbate neuroinflammation, amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition, and tau pathology. This review evaluates promising interventions, including probiotics, anti-inflammatory diets, exercise, and phytochemicals that can restore microbial balance, enhance barrier function, and improve cognitive outcomes in preclinical and early clinical studies. However, clinical translation is hindered by an overreliance on animal models, short-term studies, and insufficient mechanistic insight. Future research must prioritize large-scale human trials, multi-omics integration to elucidate signaling pathways, and personalized approaches that account for host genetics and baseline microbiome composition to fully harness the therapeutic potential of the gut-brain axis for AD.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Qin, R., Li, C., Yuan, X., & Chen, Y. (2025). Microbiome-targeted Alzheimer's interventions via gut-brain axis. Frontiers in microbiology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1729708
Vancouver
Qin R, Li C, Yuan X, Chen Y. Microbiome-targeted Alzheimer's interventions via gut-brain axis. Frontiers in microbiology. 2025. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2025.1729708. PMID: 41425927.
BibTeX
@article{qin2025-41425927,
author = {Qin, Ruiqi and Li, Chaofan and Yuan, Xingxing and Chen, Yinghua},
title = {{Microbiome-targeted Alzheimer's interventions via gut-brain axis}},
journal = {Frontiers in microbiology},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2025.1729708},
pmid = {41425927},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2025.1729708}
}
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Key findings
- This dysbiosis, characterized by a reduction in beneficial microbes and an increase in pro-inflammatory taxa, compromises intestinal and blood-brain barrier integrity, promoting systemic inflammation and the translocation of neurotoxic agents like lipopolysaccharide (LPS).
- Consequently, the balance of key microbial metabolites is disrupted, reducing neuroprotective short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and indoles while elevating inflammatory mediators, which collectively exacerbate neuroinflammation, amyloid-β (Aβ) deposition, and tau pathology.
- This review evaluates promising interventions, including probiotics, anti-inflammatory diets, exercise, and phytochemicals that can restore microbial balance, enhance barrier function, and improve cognitive outcomes in preclinical and early clinical studies.
- However, clinical translation is hindered by an overreliance on animal models, short-term studies, and insufficient mechanistic insight.
- Future research must prioritize large-scale human trials, multi-omics integration to elucidate signaling pathways, and personalized approaches that account for host genetics and baseline microbiome composition to fully harness the therapeutic potential of the gut-brain axis for AD.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, times cited, citations per year, impact for its field and year, cited by studies here, still being cited, senior author's track record, institution's track record, multi-centre collaboration and free to read, so those were left out: it earned 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on, which is 43 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Frontiers in microbiology) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | — / 7 | No citation count (not found in OpenAlex) — left out of this score |
| Citations per year | — / 5 | No citation count or no year — left out of this score |
| Impact for its field and year | — / 6 | No field-weighted citation impact (OpenAlex has none yet) — left out of this score |
| Cited by studies here | — / 6 | Not yet checked against this library's citation graph — left out of this score |
| Still being cited | — / 4 | No yearly citation counts — left out of this score |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | — / 3 | No institution listed in OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Multi-centre collaboration | — / 3 | Institutions not listed — left out of this score |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41425927) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 24 / 56 | Scored on 10 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 24 of the 56 points we could judge it on is 43 out of 100. |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
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