Orally administered Odoribacter laneus improves glucose control and inflammatory profile in obese mice by depleting circulating succinate. Odoribacter_laneus_glucose_control

Background Succinate is produced by both human cells and by gut bacteria and couples metabolism to inflammation as an extracellular signaling transducer. Results Here, using germ-free and microbiota-depleted mouse models, we show that the gut microbiota is a significant source of circulating succinate, which is elevated in obesity. We also observe in vivo that therapeutic interventions with in silico-selected bacteria diminish the levels of circulating succinate in obese mice. In particular, we demonstrate that Odoribacter laneus is a promising probiotic through its ability to deplete succinate and improve glucose tolerance and the inflammatory profile in two independent models of obesity (db/db mice and diet-induced obese mice). Mechanistically, this is partly driven by the succinate receptor 1. Supporting these preclinical findings, we demonstrate an inverse correlation between plasma and fecal levels of succinate in a cohort of patients with severe obesity. We also show that plasma succinate, which is associated with several components of metabolic syndrome including waist circumference, triglycerides, and uric acid, among others, is a primary determinant of insulin sensitivity assessed by euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. Conclusions Overall, our work uncovers O. laneus as a promising next-generation probiotic to deplete succinate and improve glucose tolerance and obesity-related inflammation.