Modulation of Soluble Leptin Receptor Levels by Gut Microbiota

Abstract

The gut microbiota plays a critical role in regulating metabolic, endocrine, and immune processes, and disruptions in microbial composition, referred to as dysbiosis, may alter key hormonal pathways. The soluble leptin receptor (sOB-R), the primary circulating binding protein for leptin, modulates leptin bioavailability and is increasingly recognized as a sensitive indicator of metabolic and inflammatory status. This study investigated the effects of antibiotic-induced dysbiosis and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) on plasma and cecal sOB-R levels in rats. Twenty-eight newly weaned male Sprague Dawley rats were allocated into three groups: control, dysbiosis, and FMT. Dysbiosis was induced through a two-week broad-spectrum antibiotic regimen, and microbiota restoration in the FMT group was achieved via intragastric administration of fecal suspension from healthy donors. sOB-R concentrations were measured using ELISA in plasma and cecal samples collected at the end of the experiment. Dysbiosis caused a significant elevation in sOB-R levels in both plasma and cecal contents compared with controls while FMT effectively reversed these increases, restoring sOB-R concentrations toward control values. These findings provide the first evidence that antibiotic-induced dysbiosis alters the sOB-R dynamics and that microbiota reconstitution can normalize these changes. Overall, the results highlight a previously underexplored link between gut microbial composition and leptin signaling, indicating a substantial impact of microbial disruption on leptin receptor regulation.

Keywords

• Gut microbiota
• Dysbiosis
• Fecal microbiota transplantation
• Soluble leptin receptor

Supporting Institution

Bursa Uludag University Scientific Research Projects Commission Unit

Project Number

TGA-2022-1216

Ethical Statement

Bursa Uludag University Animal Experimentation Local Ethics Committee (2024-03/03).

Thanks

This research was funded by Bursa Uludag University Scientific Research Project Foundation, grant number TGA-2022-1216. The research presents a part of the findings of a Master thesis carried out by Songul Fidan-Bulut at Bursa Uludağ University under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Murat Yalcin.

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