Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42624113›Full record

ArticleCell reports. Medicine2026

Faecalibacterium prausnitzii-derived L-arginine ameliorates insomnia by inhibiting POMC-ACTH-cortisol axis.

Yun Wang, Suyi Xie, Chenyu Li, Rongxue Huang, Zhijie Zheng, Sizhe Chen, Yuqi Wu, Haoshuai Zhang, Ruili Yang, Yeuk Lam Chan and 5 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Cell reports. Medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
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

15 authors.

Yun WangMicrobiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Suyi XieLi Chiu Kong Family Sleep Assessment Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Chenyu LiMicrobiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Rongxue HuangDepartment of Geriatrics, Yunnan Geriatric Medical Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Zhijie ZhengMicrobiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Sizhe ChenMicrobiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Yuqi WuMicrobiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Haoshuai ZhangMicrobiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Ruili YangMicrobiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Yeuk Lam ChanMicrobiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Yang SunDepartment of Geriatrics, Yunnan Geriatric Medical Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
Francis K L ChanMicrobiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China; Centre for Gut Microbiota Research, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; The D.H. Chen Foundation Hub of Advanced Technology for Child Health (HATCH), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Disease, Institute of Digestive Disease, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Ngan Yin ChanLi Chiu Kong Family Sleep Assessment Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: rachel.chan@cuhk.edu.hk.
Siew C NgMicrobiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: siewchienng@cuhk.edu.hk.
Qi SuMicrobiota I-Center (MagIC), Hong Kong SAR, China; Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, State Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China. Electronic address: qisu@cuhk.edu.hk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Insomnia is associated with gut microbial dysbiosis, but the specific microbial metabolites mediating gut-brain communication remain elusive. Here, we integrate metagenomic sequencing from 171 individuals (primary insomnia, post-COVID insomnia, and controls) with functional pathway analysis and preclinical validation. We identify Faecalibacterium prausnitzii depletion and reduced L-arginine biosynthesis as consistent features in both insomnia subtypes, accompanied by elevated cortisol levels. Genomic and in vitro analyses confirm that F. prausnitzii is a key microbial contributor to L-arginine production. In a chronic mild stress mouse model, administration of either F. prausnitzii or L-arginine restores sleep duration, normalizes corticosterone levels, and reverses stress-induced gut dysbiosis. Mechanistically, L-arginine suppresses POMC gene expression and dampens adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-stimulated corticosterone release, implicating the POMC-ACTH-cortisol axis as a key target. These findings uncover a gut-brain axis driven by F. prausnitzii-derived L-arginine that modulates sleep through endocrine signaling, positioning this metabolite as a potential therapeutic avenue for insomnia.

Indexed as

Adrenocorticotropic HormoneArginineFaecalibacterium prausnitziiHydrocortisonePro-OpiomelanocortinSleep Initiation and Maintenance DisordersAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalGastrointestinal MicrobiomeHumansMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLAdrenocorticotropic HormoneArginineHydrocortisonePro-OpiomelanocortincortisolFaecalibacterium prausnitziigut microbiomeinsomniaL-arginine

Identifiers

PMID42624113
PMCPMC13589507

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

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.