The intestinal microbiome potentially affects thrombin generation in human subjects

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Hematology
• Microbiology

Background:

• The intestinal microbiome's role in arterial thrombosis is known, but its involvement in venous thrombosis, primarily driven by plasma coagulation, remains unestablished.
• This study investigates the potential impact of intestinal microbiome composition on human coagulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if altering the intestinal microbiome composition affects coagulation in patients with metabolic syndrome.
• To explore the relationship between gut microbiota and thrombin generation.

Main Methods:

• Healthy donor fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) was administered to 35 metabolic syndrome patients in a blinded, randomized controlled trial.
• Thrombin generation was measured using calibrated thrombinography, and plasma coagulation proteins were quantified via targeted mass spectrometry.

Main Results:

• Healthy donor FMT significantly prolonged the thrombinography lag time (P = .039).
• Unsupervised analysis indicated a general downregulation of coagulation-related proteins in patients responding metabolically to healthy donor FMT.

Conclusions:

• A single healthy donor FMT demonstrated a modest suppression of thrombin generation onset in metabolic syndrome patients.
• These findings provide initial proof-of-principle for the gut microbiota's influence on human coagulation and suggest potential clinical implications.