Prebiotic Fibre May Influence Biological Pathways Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease

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Alzheimer´s disease is a neurodegenerative disease with high global prevalence and no cure available. It is known that the microbiota-gut-brain-axis plays a role in the pathogenesis, but the pathways are not fully understood yet.

Across a seven-week feeding trial in a mouse model of genetic Alzheimer´s disease, mice receiving inulin showed marked changes in bacterial communities throughout the gastrointestinal tract, accompanied by notably higher concentrations of short-chain fatty acids in the digesta. These metabolites are understood to support gut integrity and may also affect the brain after entering the bloodstream.

Importantly, mice with inulin supplementation exhibited a reduced amyloid-beta plaque load compared to untreated Alzheimer’s model animals. Proteomic analysis of brain tissue revealed further distinctions between the groups, suggesting that microbial products such as acetate may contribute to the observed neuroprotective effects.

Although conducted in a mouse model, the results provide evidence that targeted nutritional interventions could help modulate the microbiota-gut-brain axis in the context of neurodegeneration. As prebiotic fibres like inulin are already part of everyday human nutrition, the findings open avenues for translational research aimed at specific dietary interventions for risk groups. The long-term ambition is to develop personalised supplementation strategies that may help delay or mitigate Alzheimer’s disease progression.

The project was carried out from the research team around Bastian Popper and Linda Böswald in close collaboration with the Imhof research group at the BMC, highlighting the center’s strong interdisciplinary approach.

Publication: Linda F. Böswald et al.: Fibre supplementation alters the gastrointestinal microbiome, the microbial metabolites and indicators of neurodegeneration in a mouse model of Alzheimer´s disease. Nature Scientific Reports, September 2025