• Dingzhi Chen, Jieqiong Xie, Xueyuan Chen, Biyun Qin, Deyan Kong, and Jiefeng Luo.
• Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, China.
• Neuroscience. 2025 Jan 9; 564: 299305299-305.

ObjectiveThis study aims to delve into the mechanisms underlying the improvement of neurological function in rats with ischemic stroke through fecal microbiota transplantation.MethodsA total of fifty male Sprague-Dawley rats were categorized into four groups: Sham, MCAO, MCAO+vehicle and FMT. We assessed behavioral and pathological alterations in the rats using modified neurological function scoring and TTC staining.Additionally, Western blot and immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression levels of Apoptotic and Necroptosis markers in neurons of ischemic brain tissue, and immunofluorescence was used to analyze the degree of activation of microglia.ResultsFMT group exhibited a decline in neurological function score compared to the MCAO and MCAO + vehicle group, accompanied by a reduction in infarct volume (P < 0.05). Relative to the SHAM group, the MCAO group displayed a significant increase in the expression levels of necroptosis-related proteins Phospho-RIP1, Phospho-RIP3, Phospho-MLKL, apoptotic proteins Bax and Cleaved caspase-3, and the iNOS positive microglia in ischemic brain tissue, while Bcl-2 expression was notably decreased (P < 0.05).Conversely, compared to the MCAO + vehicle group, the FMT group showed decreased expression levels of Phospho-RIP1, Phospho-RIP3, Phospho-MLKL, Bax, Cleaved caspase-3, and iNOS-positive microglia, while the expression of Bcl-2 was increased.ConclusionFecal microbiota transplantation offers a promising approach to improving neurological function in rats with ischemic stroke by inhibiting neuronal apoptosis, necroptosis, and the polarization of inflammatory microglial cells.Copyright © 2024 International Brain Research Organization (IBRO). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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