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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Neurosci.
Sec. Gut-Brain Axis
Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnins.2025.1543826
This article is part of the Research Topic Neuroinflammation and Gut-Brain Axis: Role of Glia Cells View all 4 articles

Alzheimer's Disease and Gut-Brain Axis: Drosophila melanogaster as a Model

Provisionally accepted
Samuel De Mattos Alves Samuel De Mattos Alves 1*Paulo Noronha Lisboa-Filho Paulo Noronha Lisboa-Filho 2Carolina L Zilli Vieira Carolina L Zilli Vieira 3Marina Piacenti-Silva Marina Piacenti-Silva 2*
  • 1 Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, Brazil
  • 2 Faculty of Sciences, São Paulo State University, Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil
  • 3 Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Research indicates that over 150 million of people will be living with Alzheimer's disease (AD) by 2050, a condition associated with neurodegeneration due to accumulation of amyloid-beta and tau proteins. In addition to genetics, endocrine disruption, and cellular senescence, managing gut microbiota has emerged as a promising path for diagnosing and treating AD, as certain bacterial metabolites can travel through blood plasma and cross the blood-brain barrier, potentially serving as indicators of disease progression. This mini-review explores the relationship between tau protein accumulation and gut dysbiosis in Drosophila melanogaster. This model facilitates the investigation of how increased levels of gut-derived metabolites contribute to neurocognitive impairment and dementia. Understanding the role of bacterial byproducts, such as lactate and acetate, in glial cell activation and tau protein dynamics may provide insights into AD mechanisms. By elucidating these interactions, novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets could be identified, ultimately contributing to more effective treatments for AD.

    Keywords: Alzheimer Disease, Drosophila melanogaster, gut-brain axis, microbiota, neurodegeneration

    Received: 11 Dec 2024; Accepted: 15 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Alves, Lisboa-Filho, Zilli Vieira and Piacenti-Silva. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Samuel De Mattos Alves, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University, Botucatu, 13506-900, Brazil
    Marina Piacenti-Silva, Faculty of Sciences, São Paulo State University, Bauru, 17033-360, São Paulo, Brazil

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.