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A research team led by Professor Lee Yun-kyung of the Soonchunhyang Institute of Medi-bio Science at Soonchunhyang University has published findings revealing how gut microbiota suppress multiple sclerosis, highlighting the potential for developing next-generation microbiome-based therapeutics.

Multiple sclerosis is a major autoimmune disease in which immune cells attack the body's own brain and spinal cord, causing inflammation and nerve damage. Recent findings that gut microbiota play an important role in immune function and brain health have drawn attention to potential treatments using these microorganisms. However, the specific microbes involved in regulating the disease and their mechanisms of action have remained unclear. To address this gap, the research team sought to identify how gut microbiota isolated from the human intestine regulate immune responses and suppress neuroinflammation, conducting the study in collaboration with Professor Kim Bong-soo's research team at Ewha Womans University.

Noting that Veillonella species were less abundant in patients with multiple sclerosis based on a microbiome analysis of a patient cohort, the researchers investigated the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action of Veillonella ratti MHL0042, a bacterial strain isolated from the human gut. 

When the bacterial strain was administered to an animal model, the gut environment was restored, and inflammation in the brain and spinal cord was significantly reduced. Meta-omics analysis confirmed that the strain promoted the production of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE), an anti-inflammatory compound, through interactions with other gut microbes. The DOPE produced entered the bloodstream and reached the brain, where it suppressed the activity of immune cells responsible for neuroinflammation. Experiments involving the administration of DOPE alone also demonstrated the same therapeutic effects. This study marks the world's first identification of a mechanism by which metabolites produced through interactions among gut microbes directly regulate inflammation in the brain and alleviate disease, highlighting new possibilities for microbiome-based therapies.

This study is particularly significant because it presents a potential treatment strategy for autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, using gut microbiota and substances derived from them. Veillonella ratti MHL0042 and DOPE, identified through this research, are expected to have applications not only in the development of therapeutics and anti-inflammatory agents but also in disease diagnostics and immune-modulating supplements. Furthermore, by scientifically establishing the link between gut microbiota and immune function, the study lays the groundwork for expanding research into various intractable autoimmune diseases and is expected to contribute to the advancement of next-generation microbiome-based therapies and the competitiveness of the biotechnology industry.

This study was supported by the Bio & Medical Technology Development Program (Next-Generation Promising General-Purpose Biotechnology Research) and the Medical Research Center (MRC) Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), as well as Soonchunhyang University's Hyangseol Convergence Research Support Program. The findings were published in the July 2026 issue of the international journal Experimental & Molecular Medicine (2025 JCR impact factor: 17.5; top 1.8% in the Medicine, Research & Experimental category).