Microbiome signatures of virulence in the oral-gut-brain axis influence Parkinson’s disease and cognitive decline pathophysiology

The human microbiome is increasingly recognized for its crucial role in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. While the gut-brain axis has been extensively studied, the contribution of the oral microbiome and gut-oral tropism in neurodegeneration has been largely overlooked. Cognitive impairment (CI) is common in neurodegenerative diseases and develops on a spectrum. In Parkinson’s Disease (PD) patients, CI is one of the most common non-motor symptoms but its mechanistic development across the spectrum remains unclear, complicating early diagnosis of at-risk individuals. Here, we generated 228 shotgun metagenomics samples of the gut and oral microbiomes across PD patients with either mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) or dementia (PDD), and a healthy cohort, to study the role of the gut and oral microbiomes on CI in PD. In addition to revealing compositional and functional signatures, the role of pathobionts, and dysregulated metabolic pathways of the oral and gut microbiome in PD-MCI and PDD, we also revealed the importance of oral-gut translocation in increasing abundance of virulence factors in PD and CI. The oral-gut virulence was further integrated with saliva metaproteomics and demonstrated their potential role in dysfunction of host immunity and brain endothelial cells. Our findings highlight the significance of the oral-gut-brain axis and underscore its potential for discovering novel biomarkers for PD and CI.