Major Lipids, Apolipoproteins, and Alterations of Gut Microbiota

The gut microbiota has been linked to blood lipids. However, the relationship between the gut microbiome and other lipid markers like apolipoproteins A1 (apoA1) and B (apoB) as well as classical lipid markers in Asians remain unclear. Here, we examined the associations between gut microbial diversity and taxonomic compositions with both apolipoproteins and lipid markers in a large number of Korean patients. The fecal 16S rRNA gene sequencing data from 1141 subjects were analyzed and subjects were categorized into control group (G0) or abnormal group (G1) according to blood lipid measurements. The microbial diversity and several taxa of the gut microbiota were significantly associated with triglyceride, apoA1, and apoB levels, but not with total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. The alpha diversity of the gut microbiota was inversely associated with high triglyceride level. Interestingly, G1 of apoA1 showed increased microbial richness and distinct microbial community compared with G0 of apoA1. A high abundance of Fusobacteria and low abundance of Oscillospira were found in the hypertriglyceridemia group. In this large-scale study, we identified associations of gut microbiota with apolipoproteins and classical lipid markers, indicating that the gut microbiota may be an important target for regulating blood lipids.