Gut bacterial composition in a murine model for Parkinson’s disease. mouse gut metagenome

The mechanism of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains unknown but it has been hypothesized that the intestinal tract could be an initiating and contributing factor to the neurodegenerative processes. In PD patients, as well as in animal models for PD, alpha-synuclein-positive enteric neurons in the colon and evidence of colonic inflammation have been demonstrated. Moreover, several studies reported pro-inflammatory dysbiosis in PD patients. Here, we report for the first time changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiome (cecum tissue and content) in a rotenone-induced mouse model for PD. Cecum samples from rotenone-treated mice show that the composition of microbiota and associated metabolic pathways in cecum mucosal specimens, as well as cecum content, were significantly different. Dysbiosis might play an important role in intestinal inflammation leading to alpha-synuclein aggregation and PD pathology.