Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41103968›Full record

ArticleAIMS neuroscience2025

Extracellular vesicles from water kefir can interact with human neurons in vitro: a potential explanation for the role of probiotics consumption in mental health.

Lora J Kasselman, Saba Ahmed, Ariel De Leon, Maryann Johnson, Ankita Srivastava, Apoorva Vashisht, Heather A Renna, Thomas Palaia, Aaron Pinkhasov, Allison B Reiss

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in AIMS neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Lora J KasselmanHackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, USA.
Saba AhmedDepartment of Foundations of Medicine, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, 11501, USA.
Ariel De LeonDepartment of Medicine, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, 11501, USA.
Maryann JohnsonDepartment of Foundations of Medicine, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, 11501, USA.
Ankita SrivastavaDepartment of Foundations of Medicine, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, 11501, USA.
Apoorva VashishtDepartment of Foundations of Medicine, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, 11501, USA.
Heather A RennaDepartment of Foundations of Medicine, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, 11501, USA.
Thomas PalaiaDepartment of Foundations of Medicine, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, 11501, USA.
Aaron PinkhasovDepartment of Psychiatry, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, 11501, USA.
Allison B ReissDepartment of Foundations of Medicine, NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, Mineola, NY, 11501, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Major depressive disorder is one of the most burdensome mental health disorders. Probiotics have been shown to ameliorate depressive symptoms, though the mechanism remains unclear. This study was conducted to investigate whether extracellular vesicles (EVs) extracted from the probiotic beverage water kefir could influence gene and protein expression in human-derived neuroblastoma cells in vitro. EVs were extracted from lab-cultured water kefir and a control solution without water kefir grains by ultracentrifugation. Water kefir vesicles were imaged via electron microscopy. Neuroblastoma, microglia, and neuroblastoma-microglia co-cultures were exposed to water kefir EVs or negative control medium. Uptake of water kefir EVs was identified by microscopy. All conditions were quantified for brain derived neurotrophic factor, fractalkine, and synaptophysin RNA and protein. Data were analyzed using factorial ANOVAs with significance set at 0.05. Water kefir vesicles were taken up by neuroblastoma cells, and incubation in neuroblastoma-microglia co-culture resulted in significantly higher levels of fractalkine protein compared to media-only control (p = 0.029). To our knowledge, this is the first study to identify potential interactions between EVs derived from the probiotic beverage water kefir and human neuronal cells. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the role played by probiotic-derived EVs in human health.

Indexed as

cognitionculturedepressionfermentationgut-brain axismental health

Identifiers

PMID41103968
PMCPMC12521936

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.