Gallstone Disease, Obesity and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio as a Possible Biomarker of Gut Dysbiosis

Abstract

Obesity is a major risk factor for developing gallstone disease (GSD). Previous studies have shown that obesity is associated with an elevated Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in the gut microbiota. These findings suggest that the development of GSD may be related to gut dysbiosis. This review presents and summarizes the recent findings of studies on the gut microbiota in patients with GSD. Most of the studies on the gut microbiota in patients with GSD have shown a significant increase in the phyla Firmicutes (Lactobacillaceae family, genera Clostridium, Ruminococcus, Veillonella, Blautia, Dorea, Anaerostipes, and Oscillospira), Actinobacteria (Bifidobacterium genus), Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes (genera Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Fusobacterium) and a significant decrease in the phyla Bacteroidetes (family Muribaculaceae, and genera Bacteroides, Prevotella, Alistipes, Paludibacter, Barnesiella), Firmicutes (genera Faecalibacterium, Eubacterium, Lachnospira, and Roseburia), Actinobacteria (Bifidobacterium genus), and Proteobacteria (Desulfovibrio genus). The influence of GSD on microbial diversity is not clear. Some studies report that GSD reduces microbial diversity in the bile, whereas others suggest the increase in microbial diversity in the bile of patients with GSD. The phyla Proteobacteria (especially family Enterobacteriaceae) and Firmicutes (Enterococcus genus) are most commonly detected in the bile of patients with GSD. On the other hand, the composition of bile microbiota in patients with GSD shows considerable inter-individual variability. The impact of GSD on the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio is unclear and reports are contradictory. For this reason, it should be stated that the results of reviewed studies do not allow for drawing unequivocal conclusions regarding the relationship between GSD and the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio in the microbiota.

Fermented Maillard Reaction Products by Lactobacillus gasseri 4M13 Alters the Intestinal Microbiota and Improves Dysfunction in Type 2 Diabetic Mice with Colitis

“…The FMRP treatment significantly (p < 0.05) recovered the Firmicute/Bacteroidetes ratio in the DB group. The relative abundance of microbial composition in metabolic disorder and IBD was compatible with previous research [47,48]. Bacteroidetes is mainly associated with healthy gut microbiota composition [49].…”

Gut Microbiome in a Russian Cohort of Pre- and Post-Cholecystectomy Female Patients

“…Such findings strongly suggest the importance of including microbiomes into the framework of precision medicine. Although the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstones is still not fully understood, gut microbiota dysbiosis plays an important role in their formation [14]. There is a paucity of studies describing fecal/gut bacteriobiome profiles in GSD-afflicted patients, both before and after surgery.…”

Chronic Jet Lag Exacerbates Jejunal and Colonic Microenvironment in Mice

“…In the present study, 16s rRNA sequencing revealed that the abundance, richness, and diversity of colonic microbiota were decreased in the jet-lagged mice. Moreover, induction of jet lag increased the F:B ratio, an indicator for the imbalance of gut microbiota (De Luca and Shoenfeld, 2019;Crovesy et al, 2020;Grigor'eva, 2020;Stojanov et al, 2020). Studies have shown that obese animals and humans had a higher F:B ratio compared with normal weight individuals (Magne et al, 2020).…”