Synergistic Glucose Depletion in Tenebrio Molitor Gut by a Multi-strain Bacterial Consortium
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.3495Keywords:
Gut microbiome, Glucose metabolism, Tenebrio molitor, Bacterial consortium, Host-microbe interaction, Metabolic modulation, Invertebrate modelAbstract
The gut microbiome is a critical regulator of host metabolism, and disruptions to microbial composition are increasingly linked to metabolic disorders. Marine sponges harbor metabolically versatile symbiotic bacteria, yet their potential to modulate host glucose regulation remains unexplored. Here, we investigated whether sponge-analog bacterial strains influence glucose metabolism in Tenebrio molitor. Adult worms were colonized for 72 hours with Vibrio natriegens, Streptomyces griseus, Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus megaterium, or a five-strain consortium, each co-introduced with Escherichia coli. Gut glucose levels were quantified using the Glucose Oxidase–Peroxidase (GOD–POD) assay. Bacterial treatment had a significant effect on glucose concentration (ANOVA, F₇,₄₀ = 187.74, p < 0.0001). Single-strain treatments reduced glucose by 25–32% relative to uncolonized controls, whereas the five-strain consortium produced a markedly greater at 53% reduction. Heat-killed controls showed minimal change, confirming dependence on live microbial metabolism. These findings demonstrate that defined microbial communities inspired by sponge-associated taxa can substantially modulate host glucose availability, with multi-strain synergy producing the strongest metabolic effects. This work highlights T. molitor as a tractable model for host–microbiome metabolic interactions and supports further exploration of engineered bacterial consortia for probiotic metabolic modulation.
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