tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Brain Behav Immun Health
. 2025 Dec 19:51:101164.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101164. eCollection 2026 Feb.
Distinct actions of the humid heat environment on host gut microbiota, intestinal mucosal immunity, neuroendocrinology in influenza A virus-infected mouse
Sizhi Wu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Yiwen Lv[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Peng Pang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Huachong Xu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Li Deng[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Wei Ma[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Xiaoyin Chen[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
Background: Climate factors exert a profound influence on human emotional well-being and physical health. Exposure to a humid heat environment is known to precipitate anxiety-like behaviors and exacerbate the clinical manifestations of influenza; concurrently, mounting evidence has demonstrated a bidirectional regulation between the gut microbiota and human health, suggesting a potential link between environmental stress and microbial homeostasis.
Methods: In this study, C57BL/6J male mice were subjected to a humid heat environment for 3 weeks prior to infection with the influenza A virus. Microbiota composition, metabolites, and intestinal mucosal immunity were comprehensively measured. Furthermore, behavioral phenotypes and neurotransmitter levels were assessed to explore their potential correlations with gut dysbiosis.
Results: Exposure to a humid heat environment aggravated pulmonary and intestinal tissue damage while reshaping the gut microbiota composition and metabolome. This environmental stress precipitated severe pathological injury and robust inflammatory in the intestinal mucosa, characterized by a multifold upregulation of Th1/Th2-related cytokines and the suppressed expression of Ocln, ZO-1, pIgR, and SIgA. Further experiments revealed that the humid heat environment exacerbated neurological deficits in influenza A virus-infected mice, accompanied by a significant reduction in neurotransmitter levels. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that exposure to a humid heat environment exacerbates influenza infection severity through the dysregulation of the intestinal homeostasis and the neuroendocrine system, revealing the potential mechanisms underlying the digestive and nervous system symptoms observed in influenza patients.
Keywords: Gut microbiota; Gut-brain axis; Humid heat environment; Influenza A virus; Metabolomics.
. 2025 Dec 19:51:101164.
doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101164. eCollection 2026 Feb.
Distinct actions of the humid heat environment on host gut microbiota, intestinal mucosal immunity, neuroendocrinology in influenza A virus-infected mouse
Sizhi Wu[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Yiwen Lv[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Peng Pang[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Huachong Xu[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Li Deng[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Wei Ma[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Xiaoyin Chen[SUP] 2 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 41561482
- PMCID: PMC12813360
- DOI: 10.1016/j.bbih.2025.101164
Background: Climate factors exert a profound influence on human emotional well-being and physical health. Exposure to a humid heat environment is known to precipitate anxiety-like behaviors and exacerbate the clinical manifestations of influenza; concurrently, mounting evidence has demonstrated a bidirectional regulation between the gut microbiota and human health, suggesting a potential link between environmental stress and microbial homeostasis.
Methods: In this study, C57BL/6J male mice were subjected to a humid heat environment for 3 weeks prior to infection with the influenza A virus. Microbiota composition, metabolites, and intestinal mucosal immunity were comprehensively measured. Furthermore, behavioral phenotypes and neurotransmitter levels were assessed to explore their potential correlations with gut dysbiosis.
Results: Exposure to a humid heat environment aggravated pulmonary and intestinal tissue damage while reshaping the gut microbiota composition and metabolome. This environmental stress precipitated severe pathological injury and robust inflammatory in the intestinal mucosa, characterized by a multifold upregulation of Th1/Th2-related cytokines and the suppressed expression of Ocln, ZO-1, pIgR, and SIgA. Further experiments revealed that the humid heat environment exacerbated neurological deficits in influenza A virus-infected mice, accompanied by a significant reduction in neurotransmitter levels. Conclusions: These data demonstrate that exposure to a humid heat environment exacerbates influenza infection severity through the dysregulation of the intestinal homeostasis and the neuroendocrine system, revealing the potential mechanisms underlying the digestive and nervous system symptoms observed in influenza patients.
Keywords: Gut microbiota; Gut-brain axis; Humid heat environment; Influenza A virus; Metabolomics.