Multi-omics elucidate octapeptin mechanisms in alleviating intestinal injury in mice challenged with ETEC K88 via modulated microbial and host pathways.

Octapeptin significantly alleviates ETEC K88-induced intestinal injury in mice by modulating microbial and host pathways, including increasing beneficial microbiota and influencing circadian gene expression.

• Why it matters: Understanding how antimicrobial peptides confer intestinal protection is crucial for developing alternatives to antibiotics and improving infection management.
• What they did: The study used a multi-omics approach, including microbiome, metabolome, and transcriptome analyses, to investigate octapeptin’s effects in mice challenged with ETEC K88, focusing on microbial and host interactions.
• The result: Octapeptin restored microbial balance, altered metabolite profiles, and regulated host circadian and immune pathways, revealing a microbiota-metabolite-transcriptome axis that underpins its protective effects.