NPJ biofilms and microbiomesDec 17, 2025

Gut bacteria may cause a hibernation-like state in warm-blooded animals through gut-brain communication

Gut-Brain Axis Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Jun 28, 2026

Abstract

Essence

Transplanting gut bacteria from hibernating marmots into mice induced a -like low-temperature state via gut-brain thermoregulation pathways.

Evidence

This preclinical fecal-transfer mouse study found rectal temperature fell by 3.72-4.58 degrees C, with lower respiration and activity, alongside Bacteroides-linked sphingolipid metabolism and hypothalamic temperature-switch signaling.

Caveat

The evidence is limited to a mechanistic mouse model using transplanted hibernator microbiota, so it does not show the same effect in humans or natural clinical settings.

Simplified

The adaptation to low temperature has research value in the fields of spaceflight, disease treatment, and ecological evolution. However, continuous exposure to cold leads to hypothermia and death in homothermic animals. Interestingly, heterothermic animals can easily overcome this challenge. We transferred intestinal bacteria from hibernating Marmota himalayana into mice (homothermic animals) and successfully induced a -like state. The mice exhibited typical characteristics of hibernation (torpor-like), such as the rectal temperature decreased by 3.72-4.58 °C, respiration rate and physical activity were down-regulated, and heat was concentrated in the brown adipose tissue. Those was associated with the Sphingolipid metabolism, regulated by Bacteroides, opened the temperature switch in the medial preoptic area and ventromedial hypothalamus through the "". Our findings suggested that gut bacteria can regulate thermoregulation via the gut-brain axis and induce animals to adapt to low temperatures in a torpor-like state.