Changes in the composition of the human intestinal microbiome in alcohol use disorder: a systematic review

Abstract

Background: A growing body of evidence highlights the role of the intestine in the development of various alcohol use disorder (AUD) complications. The intestinal microbiome has been proposed as an essential factor in mediating the development of AUD complications such as alcoholic liver disease. Objectives: To provide a comprehensive description of alcohol-induced intestinal microbiome alterations. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of studies investigating the effect of alcohol on the intestinal microbiome using the PRISMA checklist. We searched the Medline database on the PubMed platform for studies determining the effect of alcohol on microbiota in individuals with AUD. The manual search included references of retrieved articles. Only human studies examining the intestinal bacterial microbiome using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing were included. Data comparing relative abundances of bacteria comprising intestinal microbiota was extracted. Results: We retrieved 17 studies investigating intestinal microbiome alterations in individuals with AUD. Intestinal microbiome alterations in individuals with AUD included depletion of Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and an increase of Enterobacteriaceae. At the phylum level, a higher abundance of Proteobacteria and lower of Bacteroidetes were found. Mixed results regarding Bifidobacterium were obtained. Several species of short-chain fatty acids producing bacteria had a lower abundance in individuals with alcohol use disorder. Conclusion: Intestinal microbiome alterations associated with dysbiosis in individuals with AUD are generally consistent across studies, making it a promising target in potential AUD complications treatment. ARTICLE HISTORY

Clinical Characteristics and Survival Analysis in Frequent Alcohol Consumers With COVID-19

“…Alcohol consumption is also associated with a reduction of anti-inflammatory molecules, such as IL-10 ( 37 ), which may further aggravate the COVID-19-associated lung inflammation and established dysregulation in the anti-inflammatory immune response ( 24 ). Besides, alcohol consumption modulates the gut microbiome ( 38 ), and curbs the viral immune response ( 39 ), which may expose the individual to SARS-CoV-2 gastrointestinal infection ( 40 , 41 ), leading to, increased gastrointestinal dysbiosis ( 42 ) and more severe respiratory complication due to COVID-19 ( 43 ).…”

Alcohol’s Impact on the Gut and Liver

“…Disruption of the microbiome (dysbiosis) has been linked with a wide range of conditions including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease and liver cirrhosis; however, it is unclear whether this is a cause or effect relationship [ 13 , 14 ]. Several studies have investigated the effect of alcohol consumption in both animal and human models, and have consistently shown that alcohol consumption is linked with the development of dysbiosis [ 13 , 15 ]. In brief, alcohol has been shown to increase the relative abundance of Proteobacteria , Enterobacteriacea and Streptococcus and decrease the abundance of Bacteroides , Akkermansia and Faecalibacterium [ 15 ].…”

“…Several studies have investigated the effect of alcohol consumption in both animal and human models, and have consistently shown that alcohol consumption is linked with the development of dysbiosis [ 13 , 15 ]. In brief, alcohol has been shown to increase the relative abundance of Proteobacteria , Enterobacteriacea and Streptococcus and decrease the abundance of Bacteroides , Akkermansia and Faecalibacterium [ 15 ]. The aetiological mechanism of this dysbiosis is not fully understood; however, it is likely that this is multifaceted, including alcohol-induced oxidative stress (which is poorly tolerated by obligate anaerobes such as Bacteroides ) and the downregulation of antibacterial peptides such as α-defensins by alcohol [ 16 , 17 ].…”

The Effect of Xuebijing on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolic of Heat 1 Stroke Rat 2

“…Inconsistent with the results of the above study, the abundance of Bifidobacterium increased significantly after heat shock in the present study. In an experiment assessing alcohol damage to the intestine, and the abundance of Bifidobacterium was observed to increase 29 . Faecalibaculum belongs to the phylum Firmicutes and is involved in inflammation regulation and lipid metabolism 30 .…”