Focusing on the 2025 International Congress of Physiological Sciences: WONDERLAB’s Patented Strain Advances from Microbiota Regulation to Mechanism Decoding

From October 9 to 12, the 2025 International Congress of Physiological Sciences (ICPS2025), hosted by the Chinese Association of Physiological Sciences, was held in Hangzhou. WONDERLAB’s core patented strain GOLDGUT-M520 (known as “M520”) was presented at the conference. During the event, WONDERLAB invited Professor Liping Duan, chief physician in the Department of Gastroenterology at Peking University Third Hospital, to explain M520’s research in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). WONDERLAB said it plans to work with Peking University Third Hospital on IBS clinical research, marking a new stage in the strain’s evidence-based development.

Scientific Frontiers: How GOLDGUT-M520 Regulates the Gut–Brain Axis

At the “Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Health” subforum on October 11, Professor Duan systematically explained the multi-target mechanisms through which GOLDGUT-M520 acts in IBS. IBS is a typical disorder of gut–brain interaction, and the core value of GOLDGUT-M520 lies in its ability to exert beneficial effects on both the gut and the nervous system.

Excellent Gastrointestinal Survival Is a Prerequisite for M520’s Activity

After three hours in simulated gastric fluid, M520 achieved a survival rate of 96.13%, helping ensure that an adequate number of live bacteria can reach the gut, colonize it, and perform their intended functions.

Core Mechanism 1: M520 Strongly Repairs the Intestinal Physical Barrier

Research shows that M520 can significantly upregulate the expression of the tight-junction proteins ZO-1, Occludin, and Claudins, as well as the mucin Mucin-2. Together, these components help build a robust intestinal defense line against external stimuli.

Core Mechanism 2: M520 Directly Improves Gut Function and the Intestinal Microenvironment

In a constipation-predominant IBS model, M520 effectively accelerated intestinal motility, increased stool water content, and improved constipation symptoms. It also significantly promoted the growth of beneficial bacteria such as lactobacilli, helping optimize gut-microbiota structure.

Important Exploration: M520 Positively Modulates a Disrupted “Gut–Brain Dialogue”

In animal experiments, M520 helped restore serotonin levels to normal in the brain and colon tissues of mice exhibiting depression-like behavior. It significantly reduced corticosterone levels in the brain tissue and serum, increased serum γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and improved neurotransmitter imbalance in the mice. These findings provide a scientific basis for exploring ways to alleviate the anxiety and depressive moods often associated with IBS.

Regarding the planned IBS clinical research, Professor Duan said: “The clinical study design should be relatively comprehensive. It should focus not only on whether probiotics improve gastrointestinal symptoms, but also on effects on the central nervous system, especially in patients with coexisting anxiety or depression. The probiotic industry is flourishing, but achieving good results requires precision: patients with gut-microbiota disturbances must be selected, the disturbances clearly characterized, and supplementation tailored precisely.”

A New Clinical Chapter: Leading Institutions Advance Evidence-Based IBS Research

At the conference, Professor Duan noted that high-quality clinical research on the gut microbiome is an important route to guiding clinical practice. Future in-depth cooperation with WONDERLAB on IBS will help address population-level gut-health needs.

As a Chinese probiotic company with a long-standing commitment to clinical testing, WONDERLAB’s collaboration with leading institutions marks an important milestone in building a full-chain evidence-based system from strain screening to clinical research. It also reflects the company’s determination to advance the scientific development of the industry through randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

The clinical application potential of GOLDGUT-M520 was previously supported by a randomized, double-blind clinical trial conducted with Hainan University and Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital. The results showed that GOLDGUT-M520 significantly increased weekly complete spontaneous bowel movements in patients with constipation and improved stool characteristics. Its core mechanism was closely related to increased expression of intestinal tight-junction proteins and enhanced intestinal-barrier function.

As Professor Duan said, this research may focus on frontier directions such as precision microbiota intervention and gut–brain-axis regulation, systematically evaluating the overall effects of specific probiotics on gut health in human populations. As a potentially high-value strain originating from healthy Chinese breast milk, GOLDGUT-M520’s scientific value and application prospects still require validation and further exploration through more rigorous clinical research.