Data fabrication and logical inconsistencies in 'Neuroprotective Effects of Sodium Butyrate by Restoring Gut Microbiota and Inhibiting TLR4 Signaling in Mice with MPTP-Induced Parkinson's Disease' (Nutrients, 2023)

Verdict

🔴 Confirmed (实锤). Multiple text-level findings indicate fabricated or template-generated results and logical incoherence. The paper does not meet basic standards of scientific reliability.

Key findings

• Recycled 49.2% effect size across unrelated endpoints (Figure 2, Figure 6): DA levels, 5-HT levels, and colonic ZO-1 levels in the MPTP + NaB group are each reported to increase by exactly 49.2%. Three independent biological measurements producing identical values to one decimal place is statistically implausible and consistent with copy-paste fabrication.
• Inverted GFAP biology (Figure 4, Discussion): The paper claims NaB attenuates astrocyte activation, yet text states MPTP decreased GFAP expression by 53.6% and NaB further decreased it by 26.2%. A decrease in the model group contradicts the activation premise; further decrease by treatment contradicts the attenuation claim.
• Direction-of-effect collapse in TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway (Figure 7): TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB are reported to decrease ~70%, 94.7%, and 94.2% in PD-model colons relative to controls, yet the authors conclude NaB reduces inflammation via suppression of the same pathway. The mechanism and direction are mutually contradictory.
• Misuse of statistical significance (Figure 5): Text states NaB 'significantly decreased' abundances with p > 0.05, directly inverting the definition of significance.
• Degraded reference list: Multiple references (e.g., 8, 30, 39) omit the first author's name and begin with the article title or journal name, indicating careless or automated compilation.
• Western blot figures not pixel-verified: Figures 3C, 4A, 6C, 7I, 7M are flagged for original-data inspection given the surrounding data collapse, but no direct image-duplication evidence is provided in this report.

Evidence highlights

• Section 3.2: "DA levels in the striatum increased remarkably by 49.2% in the MPTP + NaB mice" and "whereas these increased by 49.2% in the MPTP + NaB mice" (5-HT).
• Section 3.6: "ZO-1 levels increased by 100.5% and 49.2%" in colon tissue.
• Section 3.4: "MPTP mice displayed a 53.6% decrease in GFAP expression"; "The treatment with NaB decreased GFAP expression by 26.2%."
• Section 3.7: "TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB protein expression decreased nearly 70%, 94.7%, and 94.2% in the colons of the PD group mice."
• Section 3.5: "NaB treatment significantly decreased their abundances (p > 0.05, p > 0.05, respectively)."
• DOI: 10.3390/nu15040930

Notes

• The 49.2% repetition across DA, 5-HT, and ZO-1 is the single strongest indicator of fabrication; exact reproduction of a derived percentage to one decimal across mechanistically unrelated assays is highly improbable.
• The GFAP and TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB inconsistencies indicate that either the underlying quantitative data are invented or the narrative was written without consulting the figures, both of which are disqualifying.
• The p > 0.05 misstatement is a basic definitional error and undermines confidence in all statistical claims in the manuscript.
• Image-level duplication analysis was not performed in this report; reviewers should request uncropped Western blot original exposures and raw densitometry from the authors.
• Affiliation of corresponding authors (Chongqing Medical University) should be notified alongside the journal editorial office.
• This report is AI-assisted and intended for academic discussion; formal determination of misconduct requires investigation by the journal and/or the authors' institution.