Profiling the Oral Microbiome and Plasma Biochemistry of Obese Hyperglycemic Subjects in Qatar

Abstract

The present study is designed to compare demographic characteristics, plasma biochemistry, and the oral microbiome in obese (N = 37) and lean control (N = 36) subjects enrolled at Qatar Biobank, Qatar. Plasma hormones, enzymes, and lipid profiles were analyzed at Hamad Medical Cooperation Diagnostic Laboratory. Saliva microbiome characterization was carried out by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing using Illumina MiSeq platform. Obese subjects had higher testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations compared to the control group. A negative association between BMI and testosterone (p < 0.001, r = −0.64) and SHBG (p < 0.001, r = −0.34) was observed. Irrespective of the study groups, the oral microbiome was predominantly occupied by Streptococcus, Prevotella, and Veillonella species. A generalized linear model revealed that the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (2.25 ± 1.83 vs. 1.76 ± 0.58; corrected p-value = 0.04) was higher, and phylum Fusobacteria concentration (4.5 ± 3.0 vs. 6.2 ± 4.3; corrected p-value = 0.05) was low in the obese group compared with the control group. However, no differences in microbiome diversity were observed between the two groups as evaluated by alpha (Kruskal–Wallis p ≥ 0.78) and beta (PERMANOVA p = 0.37) diversity indexes. Certain bacterial phyla (Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Proteobacteria, Spirochaetes, and Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes) were positively associated (p = 0.05, r ≤ +0.5) with estradiol, fast food consumption, creatinine, breastfed during infancy, triglycerides, and thyroid-stimulating hormone concentrations. In conclusion, no differences in oral microbiome diversity were observed between the studied groups. However, the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, a recognized obesogenic microbiome trait, was higher in the obese subjects. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings in a larger cohort.

Association of gut microbiome with fasting triglycerides, fasting insulin and obesity status in Mexican children

“…Our results at the phylum level in children from Oaxaca show for the first time in the Mexican population: (a) a positive association between the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and TG; (b) a significant association between the higher relative abundance of Firmicutes, lower relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and TG; (c) a negative association between Verrucomicrobia and obesity status. Findings 1 and 2 are in‐line with a previous study done on the oral microbiome in adults from Qatar 28 . Furthermore, the association between the higher relative abundance of Firmicutes, lower relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and childhood obesity observed in Mexico City, is consistent with our previous report done in a cohort of children from Mexico City, through qPCR using universal and specific primers for Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phyla 29…”

The Effects of Gum Acacia on the Composition of the Gut Microbiome and Plasma Levels of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in a Rat Model of Chronic Kidney Disease

“…5′-GTCTCGTGGGCTCGGAGATGTGTATAAGAGACAGGACTACHVGGGTATCTAATCC-3′). The 16S rRNA amplicons were then utilized to prepare a library, as described previously ( Sohail et al, 2019b ; Sohail and Hume, 2019 ), and these libraries cleaned, normalized, and pooled for sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform (San Diego, CA, United States).…”

The Influence of Probiotics on the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio in the Treatment of Obesity and Inflammatory Bowel disease

“…Individuals with a F/B ratio of ≥ 1 were 23% more likely to be overweight than those with a F/B ratio of <1 [29]. Similarly, Qatari subjects (37 obese and 36 lean) exhibited altered gut microbiota; the F/B ratios in obese and lean subjects were 2.25 ± 1.83 and 1.76 ± 0.58, respectively [30]. In Kazakh [31] and Belgian [32] school children, the F/B ratio was significantly higher in the obese groups compared to that of the control groups.…”