Micheliolide reduces colon cancer cachexia through gut microbiota modulation and Phocaeicola vulgatus enrichment (microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com)

• MCL attenuates cachexia in colon and lung cancer mouse models.
• Anti-cachectic effect is gut microbiota-dependent.
• MCL enriches P. vulgatus and increases butyrate production.

"This study demonstrates that micheliolide (MCL), a natural compound, attenuates cancer cachexia in murine models of colon and lung cancer by modulating the gut microbiome. MCL treatment preserved muscle mass and function independent of tumor growth inhibition. The effect was dependent on gut microbiota, as antibiotic-treated mice lost all benefits. MCL selectively enriched the beneficial bacterium Phocaeicola vulgatus and increased short-chain fatty acid production, particularly butyrate. Oral supplementation with P. vulgatus alone recapitulated anti-cachectic effects. The mechanism involves suppression of splenic T cell exhaustion and muscle NF-κB hyperactivation."