Effects of Akkermansia muciniphila and Amuc_1100 Protein on gut microbiota

Akkermansia muciniphila is a species of gram-negative bacteria that reside in the gastrointestinal tracts which has been inversely associated with obesity, diabetes, cardiometabolic diseases and low-grade inflammation. Its capacity to degrade mucin suggests that A. muciniphila may play a critical role at the mucosal interface between the gastrointestinal lumen and host cells. Results from recent studies indicated that oral administration of A. muciniphila ameliorates the symptoms of metabolic disease in rodents. Amuc_1100 is an abundant outer membrane pili-like protein of A. muciniphila that mediates many of the beneficial features of this bacterial species. We used Sprague-Dawley rats for in vivo modelling of the health-promoting effects of live and heat-inactivated A. muciniphila and of the Amuc_1100 protein.