Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Diabetes. Jun 15, 2026; 17(6): 117542
Published online Jun 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.117542
Published online Jun 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.117542
Letter to the Editor: Akkermansia muciniphila serves as an immunomodulator for type 1 diabetes mellitus: Promises and pitfalls
Ying Qian, Jun Xu, Department of Acupuncture, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200071, China
Jun-Min Wang, Xing-Li Wu, Yi-Yuan Zheng, Laboratory Center, Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200071, China
Co-first authors: Ying Qian and Jun Xu.
Author contributions: Qian Y, Xu J, Wang JM, Wu XL, and Zheng YY conceived this work, researched the literature, and wrote the manuscript; Qian Y and Xu J contributed equally to this manuscript and are co-first authors. All authors thoroughly reviewed and endorsed the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Yi-Yuan Zheng, Laboratory Center, Department of Gastroenterology, Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, No. 274 Zhijiang Middle Road, Shanghai 200071, China. iceroser@126.com
Received: December 10, 2025
Revised: January 17, 2026
Accepted: February 6, 2026
Published online: June 15, 2026
Processing time: 184 Days and 2.4 Hours
Revised: January 17, 2026
Accepted: February 6, 2026
Published online: June 15, 2026
Processing time: 184 Days and 2.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This article offers a critical evaluation of the therapeutic potential of Akkermansia muciniphila in the context of type 1 diabetes mellitus. While the study has yielded promising results in terms of immunomodulatory effects, the absence of metabolic reversal highlights significant challenges in translating these findings into clinical applications. This article emphasizes the need for caution regarding the inhibition of immune pathways, interspecies variability, and potential ecological trade-offs within the gut microbiome. Future investigations should prioritize clinical trials and combination therapies to realize its therapeutic potential in type 1 diabetes mellitus.