Variation in the gut microbial community is associated with the progression of liver regeneration

To highlight a potential dynamic interaction between intestinal bacteria (IB) and metabolites that might contribute to liver regeneration (LR).

Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to surgical removal of two-thirds of the liver and samples were collected over a 14-day period. Intestinal community and metabolic profiles were characterized to establish their potential interactions during liver regeneration.

Partial hepatectomy caused fluctuating changes in the gut microbiome, which paralleled the biological processes of LR. Briefly, the enhanced cell proliferation occurring within 30-48 h was associated with a decreased ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes reflected by a reduction in Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae, and an increase in Bacteroidaceae, Rikenellaceae, and Porphyromonadaceae, which was indicative of a lean phenotype. The microbiota derived from rats at 12-24 h and 3-14 days were characterized by elevated F/B ratios, suggesting the differing energy extract behaviors of microbiota during the course of LR. Functional changes of the shifted microbiota revealed by PICRUSt software confirmed the pyrosequencing results. The microbiome derived from hour 12 rats showed overpresentation of metabolism-related modules. In contrast, the microbiome derived from day 2 rats was functionally unique in "replication and repair", "amino acid metabolism," and "nucleoid metabolism." Upon examining the dynamic pattern of metabolic response, the specific pathways, including glycerophospholipid metabolism, taurine, and hypotaurine metabolism, were identified to be attributable to the systemic alterations in LR-related metabolism. Moreover, our data indicated that several key functional bacteria were strongly related to perturbations of the above pathways.

Gut flora could play a central role in manipulating metabolic responses in LR.