Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41922322›Full record

ArticleTranslational psychiatry2026

Non-gene-edited neural stem cells reverse neuroinflammation and microbiota dysbiosis in a sprague-dawley rat model of autism spectrum disorder.

Zhaoming Liu, Caixia Wu, Xianjie Li, Han Wang, Muhammad Majid, Rajesh Basnet, Zhiyuan Li

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational psychiatry, 2026. 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
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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

7 authors.

Zhaoming Liu *Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8585-3472
Caixia Wu *Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510316, China. caixia52@163.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1303-3712
Xianjie LiInstitute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510316, China.
Han WangInstitute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510316, China.
Muhammad MajidGuangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
Rajesh BasnetGuangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China.
Zhiyuan LiGuangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510530, China. li_zhiyuan@gibh.ac.cn.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition with limited treatment options, where neuroinflammation and gut microbiota dysbiosis are emerging as interconnected therapeutic targets. This study evaluated the therapeutic potential of non-gene-edited human chemically induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells (hCiPSC-NSCs) in a prenatal valproic acid (VPA)-induced rat model of ASD, using a dual-pathway administration strategy (intravenous systemic delivery combined with an intracerebroventricular boost). The treatment significantly ameliorated core ASD-like behaviors, including improved sociability (increased stranger interaction time, P < 0.0001), reduced repetitive behaviors (decreased marble-burying, P < 0.0001; and self-grooming, P < 0.05), and enhanced spatial memory (shorter escape latency in the Morris water maze, P < 0.01). At the mechanistic level, hCiPSC-NSCs attenuated neuroinflammation (suppressed IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α; elevated IL-10, all P < 0.0001), reduced oxidative stress (restored GSH and SOD, decreased MDA and NO), diminished microglial activation in the hippocampus and cortex, and restored synaptic ultrastructure by replenishing synaptic vesicles. Furthermore, 16S rRNA sequencing revealed a rebalancing of the gut microbiota, characterized by a reduced Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio, enrichment of beneficial taxa like Bacteroidota and Alloprevotella, suppression of pathobionts such as Desulfovibrionales, and partial restoration of microbial diversity. These findings demonstrate that non-gene-edited hCiPSC-NSCs can simultaneously address neural pathophysiology and gut ecosystem disruption in ASD, highlighting their potential as a gut-brain axis-targeting therapy for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderDysbiosisGastrointestinal MicrobiomeNeural Stem CellsNeuroinflammatory DiseasesAnimalsBehavior, AnimalDisease Models, AnimalFemaleHumansMaleOxidative StressPregnancyRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyValproic AcidValproic Acid

Identifiers

PMID41922322
PMCPMC13183978

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Registered trials

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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.