Lactobacillus reuteri restored GLP-1 peptide signaling and reversed glucose metabolism damage caused by chronic acrylamide exposure in mice, working through the bile acid-TGR5-GLP-1 pathway.
GLP-1 restoredL. reuteri probiotic normalized GLP-1 levels and glucose metabolism in mice after acrylamide disrupted the bile acid-TGR5-GLP-1 pathway
What the researchers found
Three weeks of L. reuteri supplementation restored GLP-1 levels, normalized blood glucose and insulin, reactivated ileal TGR5 and proglucagon expression, and corrected bile acid imbalance in acrylamide-exposed mice.
Why it matters
Acrylamide exposure is nearly unavoidable through cooked foods. If it suppresses GLP-1 signaling — a peptide pathway critical for blood sugar control — this could partly explain rising metabolic disease rates. Probiotics that restore GLP-1 function offer a practical dietary intervention.
The numbers in context
5 mg/kg acrylamide for 10 weeks increased blood glucose and decreased GLP-1; 3 weeks of probiotic or dulaglutide treatment reversed these effects.
How the study worked
C57BL/6N mice given oral acrylamide (5 mg/kg body weight) for 10 weeks, then treated for 3 weeks with either dulaglutide (GLP-1 analogue), INT-777 (TGR5 agonist), or Lactobacillus reuteri JCM 1112. Measured blood glucose, serum insulin, GLP-1 levels, bile acid profiles, gene expression (TGR5, proglucagon), and oxidative stress markers.
Who was studied
Mice exposed to chronic low-dose acrylamide treated with L. reuteri or dulaglutide
What this study cannot tell us
Mouse study with a specific acrylamide dose (5 mg/kg) that may exceed typical human dietary exposure. Results from a single probiotic strain may not apply to other probiotics. Three-week treatment period is short. Human metabolic responses may differ from mice.
How to read the evidence
Preliminary evidence: well-designed mouse study with clear mechanistic pathway identified, but no human data and acrylamide dose may not reflect typical dietary exposure.
When this study was published
Published in 2024. Addresses a timely intersection of food safety, gut health, and metabolic peptide biology.
The bigger picture
GLP-1 has become one of the most important peptides in metabolic medicine, with drugs like semaglutide and dulaglutide transforming diabetes and obesity treatment. This study reveals that everyday food contaminants can disrupt GLP-1 signaling through the gut-bile acid axis, and that specific probiotics may help maintain this crucial pathway — connecting diet, gut health, and metabolic peptide function.
Questions still open
- Does typical human dietary acrylamide exposure suppress GLP-1 signaling to a clinically meaningful degree?
- Would commercially available L. reuteri probiotics produce similar GLP-1-restoring effects in humans?
- Could other food contaminants or dietary factors disrupt the bile acid-TGR5-GLP-1 axis in similar ways?
Common questions
What is acrylamide and how am I exposed to it?
Can probiotics boost GLP-1 levels naturally?
Read the original research
Lactobacillus reuteri JCM 1112 ameliorates chronic acrylamide-induced glucose metabolism disorder via the bile acid-TGR5-GLP-1 axis and modulates intestinal oxidative stress in mice.
Food & function, 15(12), 6450-6458
Citation
Yue, Zonghao; Zhao, Feiyue; Guo, Yuqi; Zhang, Yidan; Chen, Yanjuan; He, Le; Li, Lili. (2024). Lactobacillus reuteri JCM 1112 ameliorates chronic acrylamide-induced glucose metabolism disorder via the bile acid-TGR5-GLP-1 axis and modulates intestinal oxidative stress in mice.. Food & function, 15(12), 6450-6458. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4fo01061b