Akkermansia muciniphila (Am) shows a beneficial role as a probiotic in the treatment of metabolic syndrome. However, the mechanism remains to be elucidated. We tested the hypothesis that Am extracellular vesicles (AmEVs) have a protective effect against hypertension. Extracellular vesicles purified from anaerobically cultured Am were characterized by nanoparticle tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and silver stain after sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). AmEVs (1.0 × 10¹⁰log particles/L) or vehicles were added into organ baths to induce vasorelaxation. In addition, AmEVs (1.0 × 10⁸ or 1.0 × 10⁹ particles/kg) or vehicles were injected into the tail veins of Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKYs) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) weekly for 4 weeks. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and splenocytes isolated from both rat strains were analyzed by flow cytometry, RT-qPCR, and western blot. AmEVs affected neither vascular contraction nor endothelial relaxation in thoracic aortas. Moreover, AmEVs protected against the development of hypertension in SHRs without a serious adverse reaction. Additionally, AmEVs increased the population of T regulatory (Treg) cells and tended to reduce proinflammatory cytokines. These results indicate that AmEVs have a protective effect against hypertension without a serious adverse reaction. Therefore, it is foreseen that AmEVs may be utilized as a novel therapeutic for the treatment of hypertension.

Akkermansia muciniphila (Am) 作为益生菌在治疗代谢综合征中发挥着有益作用。然而，其机制仍有待阐明。我们测试了 Am 细胞外囊泡 (AmEV) 对高血压具有保护作用的假设。从厌氧培养的 Am 中纯化的细胞外囊泡通过纳米颗粒跟踪分析、透射电子显微镜和十二烷基硫酸钠-聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳 (SDS-PAGE) 后的银染色进行表征。将 AmEV（1.0 × 10 ¹⁰ log 颗粒/L）或媒介物添加到器官浴中以诱导血管舒张。此外，每周将AmEV（1.0 × 10 ⁸或1.0 × 10 ⁹颗粒/kg）或媒介物注射到Wistar-Kyoto大鼠（WKYs）和自发性高血压大鼠（SHRs）的尾静脉中，持续4周。通过流式细胞术、RT-​​qPCR 和蛋白质印迹分析从两种大鼠品系中分离的外周血单核细胞 (PBMC) 和脾细胞。 AmEV 既不影响胸主动脉的血管收缩，也不影响内皮舒张。此外，AmEV 可以防止 SHR 发生高血压，且没有出现严重的不良反应。此外，AmEV 增加了调节性 T (Treg) 细胞的数量，并倾向于减少促炎细胞因子。这些结果表明 AmEV 对高血压具有保护作用，且没有严重的不良反应。因此，预计AmEV可作为治疗高血压的新疗法。