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The Impact of Air Pollution on Intestinal Microbiome of Asthmatic Children: A Panel Study
Ping Zheng1, Bei Zhang1, Kexing Zhang2
1National Institute of Environmental Health, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing 100050, China.
Insights
Short-term air pollution exposure alters the gut microbiome in children, particularly those with asthma. This shift in intestinal bacteria may influence asthma development and exacerbation, suggesting a novel pathway for air pollution
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Microbiology
- Pediatric Allergy
Background:
- The intestinal microbiome plays a critical role in immune system development and is linked to allergic diseases like asthma.
- Emerging evidence suggests a connection between gut microbiota dysbiosis and asthma pathogenesis.
- Air pollution is a known environmental risk factor for asthma exacerbation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of short-term air pollution exposure on the intestinal microbiome composition in children.
- To explore potential links between air pollution-induced microbial changes and bacteria associated with asthma immunology.
- To assess differences in microbiome response to air pollution between asthmatic and healthy children.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal fecal sample collection from 21 children (11 asthmatic, 10 healthy) on clean and smog days.
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze intestinal bacterial composition.
- Statistical analyses including PERMANOVA, Wilcoxon test, and multiple linear regression to identify significant changes and associations.
Main Results:
- Air pollution significantly altered the overall intestinal microbiome composition in children (PERMANOVA, P = 0.03).
- Asthmatic children showed decreased Bifidobacteriaceae and increased Streptococcaceae and Bacteroides during smog days.
- Specific gut bacteria, including some Firmicutes, exhibited negative associations with air pollutants like PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2.
Conclusions:
- Short-term air pollution exposure demonstrably impacts the intestinal microbiome in children, with distinct changes observed in asthmatic individuals.
- Air pollution exposure altered bacteria linked to asthma's immunological mechanisms, suggesting a potential trigger for asthma attacks.
- The findings propose that air pollution may exacerbate asthma by modulating the gut microbiota.
Abstract:
Air pollution could impact on the alteration of intestinal microbiome. Maturation of intestinal microbiome in early life played an important role in the development of allergic diseases, including asthma. Recent studies presented an increase in the evidence of association between the shift of gut microbiota and asthma. This article is aimed at exploring whether the alteration in the intestinal microbiome triggered by a short wave of air pollution could influence the colonization of bacteria that have been related to the immunological mechanisms of the asthma attack. The impact of air pollution on intestinal microbiome was assessed by longitudinal comparison. Fecal samples were collected twice for twenty-one children in clean and smog days, respectively, including eleven asthmatic children and ten healthy children. Intestinal bacteria were discriminated by using the method of 16S rRNA gene sequence. The results showed that the composition of intestinal microbiome changed between clean and smog days among all children (PERMANOVA, P = 0.03). During smog days, Bifidobacteriaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, and Clostridium sensu stricto 1 decreased, and Streptococcaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, Rikenellaceae, Bacteroidales S24-7 group, and Bacteroides increased in asthmatic children (Wilcoxon test, P < 0.05), while Fusicatenibacter decreased and Rikenellaceae and Terrisporobacter increased in healthy children (Wilcoxon test, P < 0.05). After controlling for food consumption, the relative abundance of some bacteria belonging to Firmicutes negatively associated with concentration of PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 (multiple linear regression, P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that short wave of air pollution had an impact on the intestinal microbiome of asthmatic children. Intestinal bacteria, which have been related to immunological mechanisms of asthma attack, were also found to be associated with air pollution. This finding suggested that a short wave of air pollution may trigger asthma by impacting on intestinal bacteria.
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