Study on the gut microbiota, HPA, and cytokine levels in infantile spasms
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Published on: February 3, 2016
Jiajia You1, Li Liu1, Xiongfeng Pan2
1The School of Pediatrics, Hengyang Medical School, University of South China (Hunan Children's Hospital), Hengyang, China.
Insights
Gut microbiota imbalance and elevated stress hormones may contribute to infantile spasms. Treatment improved these markers, suggesting a link between gut health and disease recovery in children.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Endocrinology
- Immunology
Background:
- Infantile spasms pathogenesis remains unclear.
- Gut microbiota, HPA axis hormones, and inflammatory cytokines are potential factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate gut microbiota, HPA axis hormones, and inflammatory cytokine changes in infantile spasms before and after treatment.
- Correlate these factors to understand disease mechanisms and treatment response.
Main Methods:
- Recruited children with infantile spasms (pre-treatment, 2 weeks post-treatment, 1 month post-treatment) and healthy controls.
- Measured HPA axis hormones and cytokines using CBA, ELISA, and CLIA.
- Analyzed gut microbiota composition using 16S rDNA sequencing of stool samples.
Main Results:
- Pre-treatment showed elevated CRH, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-17α, decreasing post-treatment.
- Lower CRH levels observed in the effective treatment group.
- Reduced *Sutterellaceae* and altered *Lachnospiracea_incertae_sedis* found in pre-treatment group; *Sutterellaceae* associated with treatment response.
Conclusions:
- Gut microbiota imbalance may play a role in infantile spasms pathogenesis.
- Specific bacteria like *Lachnospiraceae* and *Lachnospiracea_incertae_sedis* may be involved in disease onset.
- *Sutterellaceae* may be linked to improved health outcomes post-treatment.
Objective:
The mechanisms driving the progression of infantile spasms are not well understood. We aimed to investigate the changes and correlations of the gut microbiota, the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hormones, and the inflammatory cytokines in children with infantile spasms before and after treatment in order to provide a reference for future pathogenesis research.
Methods:
Children with infantile spasms who were admitted to our hospital were recruited into the case group. The case group was divided into the pre-treatment group (group A, n = 14), the 2 weeks after treatment group (group B), and the 1 month after treatment group (group C). On the other hand, healthy children with the same sex ratio as the case group were recruited into the control group (group D, n = 14). Three stool and blood samples were collected before treatment, 2 weeks after treatment, and 1 month after treatment. The serum samples were analyzed using cytometric bead array (CBA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) to measure the levels of HPA axis hormones and inflammatory cytokines. The collected stool samples were sequenced using 16S rDNA.
Results:
The pre-treatment group demonstrated elevated levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), interleukin 2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-6, and IL-17α, which decreased with treatment. The level of CRH was lower in the effective group than that in the ineffective group. Sutterellaceae was lower in the pre-treatment group than that in the control group. Lachnospiracea_incertae_sedis was positively associated with CRH concentration (p < 0.05). After treatment, Sutterellaceae was negatively associated with IL-2 and TNF-α (p < 0.05).
Conclusion:
This study found that imbalance of the gut microbiota may be involved in the pathogenesis of infantile spasms and is related to the response to adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Lachnospiraceae and Lachnospiracea_incertae_sedis might be involved in the disease onset. Sutterellaceae might have a link to children's improved health.
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