Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG-driven remodeling of arginine metabolism mitigates gut barrier dysfunction

Abstract

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and gut barrier impairment are associated with changes in dietary tryptophan and arginine metabolism, but mechanisms of barrier perturbation and restoration are unclear. We show here that the widely consumed probiotic Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) enhances gut barrier functions in part through stimulating the intestinal arginine metabolic pathway, and this mechanism depends on the sufficiency of dietary tryptophan in the host. Specifically, LGG markedly upregulates argininosuccinate lyase (ASL), the enzyme that breaks down argininosuccinate into arginine. ASL expression is markedly reduced during experimental colitis with an accumulation of serum argininosuccinate. LGG colonization in mice reduces serum argininosuccinate, a metabolite that inversely correlates with tight junction gene expression, impairs barrier function, and exacerbates dextran sodium sulfate colitis. We show that LGG-derived indoles as well as arginine metabolites enhanced argininosuccinate lyase (ASL) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS2) expression, linking microbial metabolism to nitric oxide production and epithelial homeostasis. Patients with IBD have increased ASS1 and decreased ASL expression, suggesting a metabolic bottleneck driving ASA accumulation. We propose that signaling pathways underlying LGG and tryptophan-mediated ASL upregulation can be useful therapeutic targets to normalize arginine metabolism in select patients with IBD.