{
  "abstract": "Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a life-threatening gastrointestinal disorder prevalent in preterm infants, and most NEC survivors suffer from persistent cognitive deficits and neurodevelopmental disorders, with no targeted therapeutic approaches available to date. β-glucan has been documented to regulate gut microbiota, suppress inflammation, and exert neuroprotective effects, yet its efficacy and molecular mechanisms against NEC-associated cognitive dysfunction remain unclear. In this study, we established a mouse NEC model with β-glucan intervention to explore its gut–brain axis protective effects. Behavioral assessments verified that β-glucan significantly rescued NEC-induced cognitive impairments, with comparable therapeutic effects between low and high doses. Multi-omics analyses demonstrated that β-glucan effectively reversed NEC-triggered gut microbiota dysbiosis and restored disrupted tryptophan metabolism, notably elevating the level of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Fecal microbiota transplantation and exogenous IAA supplementation recapitulated the neuroprotective phenotypes of β-glucan, which inhibited excessive hippocampal microglial activation and neuroinflammation, and repaired impaired synaptic ultrastructure and plasticity. Further mechanistic validation confirmed that IAA mediated neuroprotection via activating the AHR/MAP2K3/p38 signaling cascade. Collectively, β-glucan alleviates NEC-related cognitive injury through modulating the gut microbiota–tryptophan metabolism–IAA axis and subsequent AHR/MAP2K3/p38 signaling activation. This study elucidates a novel gut‒brain axis regulatory mechanism of β-glucan, providing reliable preclinical evidence for the clinical prevention and treatment of long-term neurodevelopmental complications in NEC survivors.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Neonatology, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China",
    "Bishan Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, Chongqing, China"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 4,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Xingdao Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        1
      ],
      "name": "Haiyan Cao"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuni Zhang"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "Yuan Shi"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/aenz3r9vw3812.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1080/19490976.2026.2756699",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19490976.2026.2756699",
  "id": "aenz3r9vw3812",
  "issns": [
    "1949-0984",
    "1949-0976"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2026.2756699",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "lcc",
      "RC799-869"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": null,
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-11-07",
  "publisher": "Taylor & Francis Group",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/aenz3r9vw3812.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-11-07T14:21:12Z",
      "native_id": "05b4a45a9c42447e8cf6868cc2249c4c",
      "source": "doaj",
      "url": "https://doi.org/10.1080/19490976.2026.2756699"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "lcc:RC799-869",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "β-glucan mitigates necrotizing enterocolitis-induced long-term cognitive impairment by remodeling gut microbiota and restoring tryptophan metabolite IAA-mediated gut–brain signaling",
  "title_text": "β-glucan mitigates necrotizing enterocolitis-induced long-term cognitive impairment by remodeling gut microbiota and restoring tryptophan metabolite IAA-mediated gut–brain signaling",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-09T14:20:59Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/aenz3r9vw3812",
  "venue": "Gut Microbes",
  "versions": []
}