Role of Intestinal Microbiota on Gut Homeostasis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory disease that is immune mediated. Patients typically present with synovial inflammation, which gradually deteriorates to investigate severe cartilage and bone damage, affecting an individual’s ability to perform basic tasks and impairing the quality of life. When evaluated against healthy controls, patients with RA have notable variations within the constituents of the gut microbiota. The human gastrointestinal tract mucosa is colonized by trillions of commensal microbacteria, which are key actors in the initiation, upkeep, and operation of the host immune system. Gut microbiota dysbiosis can adversely influence the immune system both locally and throughout the host, thus predisposing the host to a number of pathologies, including RA. Proximal intestinal immunomodulatory cells, situated in specific locales within the intestine, are a promising intermediary through which the gastrointestinal microbiota can influence the pathogenesis and progression of RA. In the early stages of the disease, the microbiota appear to differ from those present in healthy controls. This difference may reflect potential autoimmune mechanisms. Research studies evaluating intestinal microbiota have demonstrated that RA is associated with a bacterial population growth or with a decline when judged against control groups. The aim of this review is to examine the studies that connect intestinal dysbiosis with the autoimmune pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of RA.

Download Full-text

Intestinal Dysbiosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Link between Gut Microbiota and the Pathogenesis of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Journal of Immunology Research ◽

10.1155/2017/4835189 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2017 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 63

Author(s):

Gabriel Horta-Baas ◽

María del Socorro Romero-Figueroa ◽

Alvaro José Montiel-Jarquín ◽

María Luisa Pizano-Zárate ◽

Jaime García-Mena ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Research Field ◽

Autoimmune Process ◽

Present Evidence ◽

Intestinal Dysbiosis ◽

Process Studies ◽

Bacterial Groups ◽

Pathogenic Effects

Characterization and understanding of gut microbiota has recently increased representing a wide research field, especially in autoimmune diseases. Gut microbiota is the major source of microbes which might exert beneficial as well as pathogenic effects on human health. Intestinal microbiome’s role as mediator of inflammation has only recently emerged. Microbiota has been observed to differ in subjects with early rheumatoid arthritis compared to controls, and this finding has commanded this study as a possible autoimmune process. Studies with intestinal microbiota have shown that rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by an expansion and/or decrease of bacterial groups as compared to controls. In this review, we present evidence linking intestinal dysbiosis with the autoimmune mechanisms involved in the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

Download Full-text

Intestinal dysbiosis featuring abundance of Streptococcus associates with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (IgA vasculitis with nephritis) in adult

BMC Nephrology ◽

10.1186/s12882-021-02638-x ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Jiaxing Tan ◽

Zhengxia Zhong ◽

Yi Tang ◽

Wei Qin

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Henoch Schonlein Purpura ◽

Intestinal Dysbiosis ◽

Clinical Indices ◽

Schonlein Purpura ◽

Henoch Schönlein Purpura ◽

Purpura Nephritis

Abstract Background The pathogenesis of Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) is closely associated with mucosal infection. But whether intestinal microbiota dysbiosis plays a role in it is not clear. Methods A total of 52 participants including 26 HSPN patients and 26 healthy controls were included. By using 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing, the intestinal microbiota composition between HSPN and healthy controls was compared. The diagnostic potency was evaluated by Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) with area under curves (AUC). Meanwhile, correlation analysis was also performed. Results The lower community richness and diversity of fecal microbiota was displayed in HSPN patients and the structure of gut microbiota was remarkedly different. A genus-level comparison indicated a significant increase in the proportions of g-Bacteroides, g-Escherichia–Shigella and g-Streptococcus, and a marked reduction of g-Prevotella_9 in HSPN patients, suggesting that the overrepresentation of potential pathogens and reduction of profitable strains were the main feature of the dysbiosis. The differential taxonomic abundance might make sense for distinguishing HSPN from healthy controls, with AUC of 0.86. The relative abundance of the differential bacteria was also concerned with clinical indices. Among them, Streptococcus spp. was positively associated with the severity of HSPN (P < 0.050). It was found that HSPN patients with higher level of Streptococcus spp. were more likely to suffering from hematuria and hypoalbuminemia (P < 0.050). Conclusions The dysbiosis of gut microbiota was obvious in HSPN patients, and the intestinal mucosal streptococcal infection was distinctive, which was closely related to its severity.

Download Full-text

The Role of Gut Microbiota in Tumor Immunotherapy

Journal of Immunology Research ◽

10.1155/2021/5061570 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-12

Author(s):

Miao Wu ◽

Jiawei Bai ◽

Chengtai Ma ◽

Jie Wei ◽

Xianjin Du

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Adverse Reactions ◽

Tumor Development ◽

Tumor Immunotherapy ◽

Host Immune System ◽

Hematological Tumors ◽

New Research

Tumor immunotherapy is the fourth therapy after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. It has made great breakthroughs in the treatment of some epithelial tumors and hematological tumors. However, its adverse reactions are common or even more serious, and the response rate in some solid tumors is not satisfactory. With the maturity of genomics and metabolomics technologies, the effect of intestinal microbiota in tumor development and treatment has gradually been recognized. The microbiota may affect tumor immunity by regulating the host immune system and tumor microenvironment. Some bacteria help fight tumors by activating immunity, while some bacteria mediate immunosuppression to help cancer cells escape from the immune system. More and more studies have revealed that the effects and complications of tumor immunotherapy are related to the composition of the gut microbiota. The composition of the intestinal microbiota that is sensitive to treatment or prone to adverse reactions has certain characteristics. These characteristics may be used as biomarkers to predict the prognosis of immunotherapy and may also be developed as “immune potentiators” to assist immunotherapy. Some clinical and preclinical studies have proved that microbial intervention, including microbial transplantation, can improve the sensitivity of immunotherapy or reduce adverse reactions to a certain extent. With the development of gene editing technology and nanotechnology, the design and development of engineered bacteria that contribute to immunotherapy has become a new research hotspot. Based on the relationship between the intestinal microbiota and immunotherapy, the correct mining of microbial information and the development of reasonable and feasible microbial intervention methods are expected to optimize tumor immunotherapy to a large extent and bring new breakthroughs in tumor treatment.

Download Full-text

The role of microbiome in rheumatoid arthritis treatment

Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease ◽

10.1177/1759720x19844632 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

pp. 1759720X1984463 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Rahul Bodkhe ◽

Baskar Balakrishnan ◽

Veena Taneja

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Immune System ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Autoimmune Disorder ◽

Host Immune System ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Drug Induced ◽

Partial Restoration ◽

Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽

The Impact

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder with multifactorial etiology; both genetic and environmental factors are known to be involved in pathogenesis. Treatment with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) plays an essential role in controlling disease progression and symptoms. DMARDs have immunomodulatory properties and suppress immune response by interfering in various pro-inflammatory pathways. Recent evidence has shown that the gut microbiota directly and indirectly modulates the host immune system. RA has been associated with dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. Patients with RA treated with DMARDs show partial restoration of eubiotic gut microbiome. Hence, it is essential to understand the impact of DMARDs on the microbial composition and its consequent influences on the host immune system to identify novel therapies for RA. In this review, we discuss the importance of antirheumatic-drug-induced host microbiota modulations and possible probiotics that can generate eubiosis.

Download Full-text

Altered Fecal Microbiota Correlated With Systemic Inflammation in Male Subjects With Methamphetamine Use Disorder

Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology ◽

10.3389/fcimb.2021.783917 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 ◽

Author(s):

Di Deng ◽

Hang Su ◽

Yuehong Song ◽

Tianzhen Chen ◽

Qianqian Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Systemic Inflammation ◽

Inflammatory Markers ◽

Fecal Microbiota ◽

Host Immune System ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Methamphetamine Use ◽

Methamphetamine Use Disorder ◽

Male Subjects

Methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) is a major public health problem worldwide with limited effective treatment options. Previous studies have reported methamphetamine-associated alterations in gut microbiota. A potential role of gut microbiota in regulating methamphetamine-induced brain dysfunction through interactions with the host immune system has been proposed, but evidence for this hypothesis is limited. The present study aimed to investigate the alterations in the fecal microbiota and explore its relationship with systemic inflammation in MUD. Fecal samples were obtained from 26 male subjects with MUD and 17 sex- and age- matched healthy controls. Fecal microbial profiles were analyzed by 16S rRNA sequencing. Plasma inflammatory markers were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Associations between fecal microbiota, systemic inflammatory markers and clinical characteristics were examined by Spearman partial correlation analysis while controlling for possible confounders. Compared with healthy controls, individuals with MUD showed no difference in fecal microbial diversity, but exhibited differences in the relative abundance of several microbial taxa. At the genus level, a higher abundance of Collinsella, Odoribacter and Megasphaera and lower levels of Faecalibacterium, Blautia, Dorea and Streptococcus were detected in subjects with MUD. More importantly, altered fecal microbiota was found to be correlated with plasma levels of CRP, IL-2, IL-6 and IL-10. The order Lactobacillales, exhibiting lower abundance in participants with MUD, was positively related to the duration of methamphetamine abstinence and the plasma level of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. This study is the first to provide evidence for a link between altered fecal microbiota and systemic inflammation in MUD. Further elucidation of interactions between gut microbiota and the host immune system may be beneficial for the development of novel therapeutic approaches for MUD.

Download Full-text

Persistent intestinal dysbiosis after SARS-CoV-2 infection in Brazilian patients

10.21203/rs.3.rs-877943/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Alexandre Soares Ferreira Junior ◽

Tais Fernanda Borgonovi ◽

Larissa Vedovato Vilela de Salis ◽

Aline Zazeri Leite ◽

Amanda Soares Dantas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Poor Prognosis ◽

Immune Status ◽

Severe Disease ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Intestinal Dysbiosis ◽

Stool Samples ◽

The Impact

Abstract Background: The massive secretion of inflammatory cytokines is associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity and poor prognosis, as well as, in long COVID, the pathophysiology seems to be related to immune deregulation. The patient's immune status can influence the response to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus infection, and this immunity is affected by the intestinal microbiota condition (eubiotic or dysbiotic). This study aimed to evaluate the intestinal microbiota of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 with different clinical manifestations and post-COVID-19 (post-COV) periods, and correlate with the use of antibiotics during the acute disease. Results: According to the beta diversity, we observed significant differences between microbial communities in stool samples from post-COV patients when compared with healthy controls. Additionally, we detected four different clusters when we grouped patients into asymptomatic, mild, moderate, and severe disease. Patients who took antibiotics during the COVID-19 course showed decreased richness of the gut microbiota, even months after the disease resolution. We detected some genera possibly associated with the persistent post-COV dysbiosis, including increased Prevotella, Dialister, Haemophillus, Barnesiella, Desulfovibrio, Bilophila, Alistipes, Parabacteroides and Bacteroides, suggesting the impact of the disease in the gut microbiota. Besides that, we found some genera associated with antibiotic-induced dysbiosis in post-COV patients, including decreased Akkermansia and Bifidobacterium species. Conclusions: Therefore, we hypothesized that persistent dysbiosis and indiscriminate use of antibiotics during the COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with long COVID syndromes, suggesting the involvement of the gut-lung axis. These data suggest that intestinal microbiota modulation may represent a therapeutic approach for long COVID.

Download Full-text

Diet as a Modulator of Intestinal Microbiota in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu12113504 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 3504 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Eduardo Dourado ◽

Margarida Ferro ◽

Catarina Sousa Guerreiro ◽

João Eurico Fonseca

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Intestinal Barrier ◽

Bone Destruction ◽

Intestinal Barrier Function ◽

Intestinal Dysbiosis ◽

And Function ◽

Gut Microbiota Composition

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic immune-driven inflammatory disease characterised by synovial inflammation, leading to progressive cartilage and bone destruction, impacting patients’ functional capacity and quality of life. Patients with RA have significant differences in gut microbiota composition when compared to controls. Intestinal dysbiosis influences the intestinal barrier strength, integrity and function, and diet is considered the main environmental factor impacting gut microbiota. Over the last few years, researchers have focused on the influence of single components of the diet in the modulation of intestinal microbiota in RA rather than whole dietary patterns. In this review, we focus on how the Mediterranean diet (MD), a whole dietary pattern, could possibly act as an adjuvant therapeutic approach, modulating intestinal microbiota and intestinal barrier function in order to improve RA-related outcomes. We also review the potential effects of particular components of the MD, such as n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), polyphenols and fibre.

Download Full-text

Microbiota-Immune System Interactions in Human Neurological Disorders

CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets ◽

10.2174/1871527319666200726222138 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 (7) ◽

pp. 509-526

Author(s):

Qin Huang ◽

Fang Yu ◽

Di Liao ◽

Jian Xia

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Neurological Disorders ◽

Brain Function ◽

Neurological Diseases ◽

Host Immune System ◽

Gut Dysbiosis ◽

Characteristic Features ◽

Novel Therapeutic Strategies

: Recent studies implicate microbiota-brain communication as an essential factor for physiology and pathophysiology in brain function and neurodevelopment. One of the pivotal mechanisms about gut to brain communication is through the regulation and interaction of gut microbiota on the host immune system. In this review, we will discuss the role of microbiota-immune systeminteractions in human neurological disorders. The characteristic features in the development of neurological diseases include gut dysbiosis, the disturbed intestinal/Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) permeability, the activated inflammatory response, and the changed microbial metabolites. Neurological disorders contribute to gut dysbiosis and some relevant metabolites in a top-down way. In turn, the activated immune system induced by the change of gut microbiota may deteriorate the development of neurological diseases through the disturbed gut/BBB barrier in a down-top way. Understanding the characterization and identification of microbiome-immune- brain signaling pathways will help us to yield novel therapeutic strategies by targeting the gut microbiome in neurological disease.

Download Full-text

Effects of Transanal Irrigation on Gut Microbiota in Pediatric Patients with Spina Bifida

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10020224 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 224

Author(s):

Akira Furuta ◽

Yasuyuki Suzuki ◽

Ryosuke Takahashi ◽

Birte Petersen Jakobsen ◽

Takahiro Kimura ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spina Bifida ◽

16S Rrna ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Pediatric Patients ◽

Host Immune System ◽

Healthy Controls ◽

Transanal Irrigation ◽

Rrna Sequencing ◽

Before And After ◽

Neurogenic Bowel

Recent studies using 16S rRNA-based microbiota profiling have demonstrated dysbiosis of gut microbiota in constipated patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in gut microbiota after transanal irrigation (TAI) in patients with spina bifida (SB). A questionnaire on neurogenic bowel disfunction (NBD), Bristol scale, and gut microbiota using 16S rRNA sequencing were completed in 16 SB patients and 10 healthy controls aged 6–17 years. Then, 11 of 16 SB patients with moderate to severe NBD scores received TAI for 3 months. Changes in urine cultures were also examined before and after the TAI treatments. In addition, correlation of gut microbiota and Bristol scale was analyzed. Significantly decreased abundance in Faecalibacterium, Blautia and Roseburia, and significantly increased abundance in Bacteroides and Roseburia were observed in the SB patients compared with controls and after TAI, respectively. The abundance of Roseburia was significantly correlated positively with Bristol scale. Urinary tract infection tended to decrease from 82% to 55% after TAI (p = 0.082) despite persistent fecal incontinence. Butyrate-producing bacteria such as Roseburia play a regulatory role in the intestinal motility and host immune system, suggesting the effects of TAI on gut microbiota.

Download Full-text

The Microbiotic Highway to Health—New Perspective on Food Structure, Gut Microbiota, and Host Inflammation

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu10111590 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 1590 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Nina Hansen ◽

Anette Sams

Keyword(s):

Immune System ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Gut Hormones ◽

Host Immune System ◽

Inflammatory Conditions ◽

Food Structure ◽

New Perspective ◽

And Function ◽

The Impact

This review provides evidence that not only the content of nutrients but indeed the structural organization of nutrients is a major determinant of human health. The gut microbiota provides nutrients for the host by digesting food structures otherwise indigestible by human enzymes, thereby simultaneously harvesting energy and delivering nutrients and metabolites for the nutritional and biological benefit of the host. Microbiota-derived nutrients, metabolites, and antigens promote the development and function of the host immune system both directly by activating cells of the adaptive and innate immune system and indirectly by sustaining release of monosaccharides, stimulating intestinal receptors and secreting gut hormones. Multiple indirect microbiota-dependent biological responses contribute to glucose homeostasis, which prevents hyperglycemia-induced inflammatory conditions. The composition and function of the gut microbiota vary between individuals and whereas dietary habits influence the gut microbiota, the gut microbiota influences both the nutritional and biological homeostasis of the host. A healthy gut microbiota requires the presence of beneficial microbiotic species as well as vital food structures to ensure appropriate feeding of the microbiota. This review focuses on the impact of plant-based food structures, the “fiber-encapsulated nutrient formulation”, and on the direct and indirect mechanisms by which the gut microbiota participate in host immune function.

Download Full-text