Promising Intestinal Microbiota Associated with Clinical Characteristics of COPD Through Integrated Bioinformatics...

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Pulmonology
• Clinical diagnostics

Background:

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a significant global health concern with unclear links to gut microbiota.
• Understanding the gut microbiome's role in COPD pathogenesis is crucial for developing new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify specific intestinal microbiota with high clinical diagnostic value for COPD.
• To explore the relationship between gut microbiota composition and key clinical factors in COPD patients.

Main Methods:

• 16S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze fecal microbiota in COPD patients and healthy controls.
• Random forest classification and Spearman correlation were employed to identify differential microbiota and their clinical associations.
• A microbiota-disease network was constructed to investigate potential pathogenic mechanisms and therapeutic targets.

Main Results:

• While overall biodiversity was similar, significant differences in microbial community structure were observed between groups.
• Fifteen bacterial genera, including *Bacteroides*, *Prevotella*, *Lachnospira*, and *Parabacteroides*, showed abundance differences.
• *Lachnospira* abundance correlated negatively with smoking index and positively with lung function, distinguishing COPD patients from healthy individuals and suggesting potential as a biomarker.

Conclusions:

• Distinct gut microbiota profiles are associated with COPD and its clinical characteristics.
• *Lachnospira* emerges as a potential biomarker for the clinical identification of COPD.