Blautia-derived L-arginine promotes osteoblast differentiation and alleviates osteoporosis via lactylation modification

Colonization with the Blautia model strain, a representative species of the genus, improved bone mineral density and mitigated osteoporosis in OVX mice. Fecal metabolomic analysis revealed systemic alterations in arginine metabolism among patients. Supplementation with L-arginine in OVX mice effectively alleviated bone loss.

In vitro studies showed that L-arginine promotes osteoblast differentiation by enhancing lactylation modifications. These findings establish Blautia and its metabolite L-arginine as critical regulators of bone homeostasis, highlighting the potential for targeting Blautia abundance or modulating the arginine-lactylation pathway as therapeutic strategies for osteoporosis.