Gut dysbiosis and lack of short chain fatty acids in a Chinese cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis. (October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zeng, Qin; Junli Gong, ; Liu, Xiyuan; Chen, Chen; Sun, Xiaobo; Li, Huijuan; Zhou, Yifan; Cui, ChunPing; Wang, Yuge; Yang, Yu; Wu, Aimin; Shu, Yaqing; Hu, Xueqiang; Lu, Zhengqi; Zheng, Song Guo; Qiu, Wei; Lu, Yongjun
• Is Part Of: Neurochemistry international. Volume 129(2019)
• Publication Date: 2019-10
• Subjects: Multiple sclerosis -- Intestinal microbiota dysbiosis -- Short-chain fatty acids -- Autoimmune disease -- Aberrant immune response; Neurochemistry -- Periodicals; Neurochemistry -- Periodicals; Neurochimie -- Périodiques; Neurochemistry; Periodicals; 612.804205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neuint.2019.104468
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0197-0186

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Recent studies, mostly conducted in Western countries, showed that gut microbes are involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS). Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate whether gut dysbiosis is relevant to the initiation and progression of MS in a Chinese population. Methods: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and gas chromatography (GC) were integrated and used to compare the fecal bacterial communities and the short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) levels among relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients (n = 34), neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients (n = 34), and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 34). T-cell profile analyses were performed by flow cytometry for MS patients and matched controls (n = 12). Results: (1) The gut microbiome of MS patients was characterized by an increase of Streptococcus and a decrease of Prevotella _9; additionally, compared to NMOSD patients, Prevotella _9 was found to be much more abundant in MS patients. (2) A striking depletion of fecal acetate, propionate, and butyrate was observed in MS patients compared to HCs. (3) The abundance of Streptococcus was negatively correlated with the proportion of pTregs ( P < 0.05) and positively correlated with Th17 cells ( P < 0.05) in the peripheral blood, while the abundance of Prevotella _9 was negatively correlated with the Th17 cell frequency ( P < 0.01), and the fecal SCFA level was positively correlated with pTreg frequency ( P < 0.05). Conclusions: Gut dysbiosis and a lack of SCFAs exist in Chinese MS patients, which might be related to an aberrant immune response of MS; this relationship may have a diagnostic and therapeutic value for patients with MS. Highlights: Two intestinal bacteria were observed to be differentially distributed in RRMS patients of our Chinese cohort: Streptococcus and Prevotella _9. The Chinese RRMS patients were characterized by gut dysbiosis and depleted SCFAs, which might induce aberrant immunoreaction.