Pre-treatment with baicalein alleviates the diquat-induced microglial pyroptosis through gut microbiota–derived indole-3-propionic acid and DDX3X/G3BP1 pathway

Baicalein, a naturally occurring flavonoid with well-documented anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects, has shown therapeutic promise in multiple models of neurological disorders. However, whether baicalein can counteract diquat-induced neurotoxicity remains uncertain. This study reveals that baicalein alleviates diquat-induced neuroinflammation and microglial pyroptosis in mice in a gut microbiota (GM)-dependent manner. In the in vivo experiments, multi-omics analyses demonstrated that baicalein elevates the GM-derived metabolite indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), which was sufficient to suppress pyroptosis. In parallel, IPA was identified as a critical mediator of baicalein's neuroprotective effects, as exogenous IPA administration recapitulated baicalein's protection, and baicalein treatment significantly elevated IPA levels. Mechanistically, through inhibiting the DEAD-box helicase 3 X-linked / GTPase-activating protein (SH3 domain) binding protein 1 pathway by in vitro experiments. Our study demonstrated that baicalein mitigates diquat-induced neuroinflammation, underscoring the therapeutic potential of targeting the GM to counteract herbicide-related neurotoxicity. Graphical The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.