iScienceApr 20, 2026

Gut bacteria products may reduce long-lasting pain in a fibromyalgia model caused by reserpine

Gut-Brain Axis Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jun 27, 2026

Abstract

Essence

An acetate-producing diet reduced fibromyalgia-like pain signals in a reserpine rodent model.

Evidence

This preclinical rodent study tested acetylated high-amylose maize starch and linked higher acetate, altered gut bacteria, reduced pain hypersensitivity, quieter spinal microglia, and restored glycinergic inhibition.

Caveat

The findings come from a reserpine-induced animal model, so they do not show clinical benefit or disease modification in people with fibromyalgia.

Simplified

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder driven by central sensitization and neuroinflammation, increasingly linked to gut-brain axis dysfunction. Here, we delineate a gut-to-CNS axis for pain modulation, demonstrating that an acetate-producing diet alleviates reserpine-induced-fibromyalgia in a rodent model. We show that diet rich in acetylated high-amylose maize starch shifts the gut microbiome to favor acetate-producing bacteria, increasing systemic acetate levels and reducing pain hypersensitivity. This is associated with reduced spinal microglia activation and anti-inflammatory cytokine gene expression, with elevated IL-10 mRNA in the DRG and IL-10, IL-2, and IL-6 in the spinal cord. Electrophysiologically, we observe reduced hyperexcitability in the dorsal horn and increased inhibitory activity. The mechanism driving this change involves reduced prostaglandin-E2 (PGE2)-mediated suppression of glycinergic inhibition, a direct consequence of maintaining microglia in quiescent state. These findings link dietary metabolites to reduced fibromyalgia-like pathology and identify targeted nutrition as a potential disease-modifying therapy for chronic pain.