Effects of the Lipid Profile, Type 2 Diabetes and Medication on the Metabolic Syndrome—Associated Gut Microbiome

Abstract

Metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) is a major health problem affecting approximately 25% of the worldwide population. Since the gut microbiota is highly connected to the host metabolism, several recent studies have emerged to characterize the role of the microbiome in MetSyn development and progression. To this end, our study aimed to identify the microbiome patterns which distinguish MetSyn from type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). We performed 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing on a cohort of 70 individuals among which 40 were MetSyn patients. The microbiome of MetSyn patients was characterised by reduced diversity, loss of butyrate producers (Subdoligranulum, Butyricicoccus, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii) and enrichment in the relative abundance of fungal populations. We also show a link between the gut microbiome and lipid metabolism in MetSyn. Specifically, low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) display a positive effect on gut microbial diversity. When interrogating the signature of gut microbiota in a subgroup of patients harbouring both MetSyn and T2DM conditions, we observed a significant increase in taxa such as Bacteroides, Clostridiales, and Erysipelotrichaceae. This preliminary study shows for the first time that T2DM brings unique signatures of gut microbiota in MetSyn patients. We also highlight the impact of metformin treatment on the gut microbiota. Metformin administration was linked to changes in Prevotellaceae, Rickenellaceae, and Clostridiales. Further research focusing on the microbiome-metabolome patterns is needed to clarify the exact association of various gut microbial communities with the progression of T2DM and the occurrence of various complications in MetSyn patients.

The causality between intestinal flora and allergic diseases: Insights from a bi-directional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis

“…Butyrate, a metabolite of gut microbiota, may be an important connector between gut microbiota and allergic diseases ( 52 ). Genus Subdoligranulum ( 53 ) and genus Collinsella ( 54 ), both butyrate producers, were also determined to be protective factors of AR and AA by the IVW method. However, there are some differences in the role of butyrate in patients with AR and AA.…”

Integrated 16S rRNA sequencing and nontargeted metabolomics analysis to reveal the mechanisms of Yu-Ye Tang on type 2 diabetes mellitus rats

“…Candidatus_Saccharimonas is an acid-producing bacterium that has an important role in maintaining intestinal pH ( 55 ). Ruminococcaceae UCG-005 can enhance the production of short-chain fatty acids, which in turn regulates the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 in islets, thereby alleviating islet damage ( 56 , 57 ). Allobaculum is positively correlated with the lipid metabolism regulator ANGPTL4, and significantly elevated relative abundance was detected in intestine and feces of HFD-induced obese mice, suggesting that it is intimately associated with lipid metabolism ( 58 ).…”

Uncovering the link between gut microbiome, highly processed food consumption and diet quality through bioinformatics methods

“…Indeed, this family has been shown to degrade complex carbohydrates [144] and decrease its abundance in obese mice [145] while increasing under high fibre intake [146]. Moreover, Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group , another genus identified in this work to be differentially more abundant in the group with lower HPF consumption, contributes to the digestion of crude fibre [147], [148] and the protection against oxidative stress [149]. Moreover, these genera’s abundances have also been reported to decrease in subjects with T2D [147].…”

“…Moreover, Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group , another genus identified in this work to be differentially more abundant in the group with lower HPF consumption, contributes to the digestion of crude fibre [147], [148] and the protection against oxidative stress [149]. Moreover, these genera’s abundances have also been reported to decrease in subjects with T2D [147]. On the whole, this ML model identified some taxa that could be biomarkers of healthier dietary habits, even though more research is needed in humans.…”