Gut microbiome profiling in systemic sclerosis: a metagenomic approach

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Gastroenterology
• Immunology

Background:

• Gastrointestinal (GI) manifestations are early signs of systemic sclerosis (SSc).
• Previous studies indicated gut dysbiosis in Caucasian SSc patients.
• This study investigates the gut microbiota in Asian SSc patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the gut microbiota composition in Asian patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).
• To compare the microbiota of SSc patients with healthy controls (HC).
• To assess differences between SSc patients on immunosuppressive (On-IS) drugs versus those not (No-IS).

Main Methods:

• Metagenomic sequencing of stool DNA from 23 female SSc patients and 19 female HC.
• Stratification of SSc patients into On-IS and No-IS groups.
• Analysis of alpha and beta diversity, taxonomic, and functional profiling.

Main Results:

• Significantly higher alpha diversity in SSc patients compared to HC (p=0.014).
• Increased abundance of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, with reduced Bacteroidetes in SSc patients.
• Distinct differences in KEGG pathways between SSc and HC, and between SSc (No-IS) and SSc (On-IS) groups.

Conclusions:

• Metagenomic sequencing reveals distinct gut microbiota alterations in Asian SSc patients.
• Findings support the role of gut dysbiosis in SSc pathophysiology.
• Further research into SSc microbiota may inform therapeutic strategies.