ABSRTACT Klebsiella pneumoniae is a common cause of human-pneumonia-derived sepsis with high morbidity and mortality. The microbiota promotes and maintains host immune homeostasis. The mechanisms by which the gut microbiota affects the host defenses in the respiratory system systematically, however, remain poorly understood. Here, we show that gut microbiota depletion increases susceptibility to extracellular K. pneumoniae infections in terms of increased bacterial burdens in lung and decreased survival rates. Oral supplementation with gut microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), subsequently activating G protein-coupled receptor 43 (GPCR43), enhances a macrophage’s capacity to phagocytose invading K. pneumoniae. Furthermore, SCFAs and GPR43 increase macrophage bacterial clearance by upregulating LAMTOR2, which is further identified as an antibacterial effector and elucidated to facilitate phagosome-lysosome fusion and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation. Lastly, conditional ablation of Lamtor2 in macrophages decreases their antimicrobial activity, even though mice were pretreated with exogenous SCFA supplementation. IMPORTANCE These observations highlight that SCFAs promote macrophage elimination of K. pneumoniae via a LAMTOR2-dependent signal pathway and suggest that it is possible to intervene in K. pneumoniae pneumonia by targeting the gut microbiota.

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The fetal membranes healing is a complex and dynamic process of replacing devitalized and missing cellular structures and tissue layers. Multiple cells and extracellular matrices, and cell differentiation, migration and proliferation may participate in restoring the integrity of damaged tissue, however this process still remains unclear. Therefore, there is a need to identify and integrate new ideas and methods to design a more effective dressing to accelerate fetal membrane healing. This review explores the function and role of galectins in the inflammatory, epithelial mesenchymal transition, proliferative migration, and remodeling phases of fetal membrane healing. In conclusion, the preliminary findings are promising. Research on amnion regeneration is expected to provide insight into potential treatment strategies for premature rupture of membranes.

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