Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) has been demonstrated to exhibit beneficial effects against various
metabolic diseases, but whether A. muciniphila has an anti-
hyperuricemia effect remains unexplored. In this study, live and pasteurized A. muciniphila were examined for their efficacy in alleviating
hyperuricemia in mice. Live and pasteurized A. muciniphila (approximately 2 × 108 CFU) were given to a hyperuricemic mice model via oral gavage for three weeks. Both forms of A. muciniphila decreased serum
urate and inhibited
xanthine oxidase in the liver. In addition, fecal and
urinal urate was increased in both treatment groups, which corresponds to the changes in the
mRNA and
protein expression levels of renal
uric acid-related transporters (URAT1, GLUT9, and ABCG2) and intestinal ABCG2. Both forms of bacteria reduced the
mRNA expression of inflammatory factors in the liver, kidneys and colon. Live A. muciniphila enhanced the expression of
tight junction proteins and improved the
dysbiosis of intestinal flora. These findings suggest that both live or pasteurized A. muciniphila could effectively attenuate
hyperuricemia by moderating
uric acid metabolism and
inflammation, and live bacteria exhibit additional beneficial effects on the gut microbiota. These findings highlight that A. muciniphila could be potentially developed as a probiotic or postbiotic to combat
hyperuricemia.