Gut Microbiota and Atherosclerosis: Integrative Multi-Omics and Mechanistic Insights

This review synthesizes and discusses evidence from metagenomics, metabolomics, and proteomics on gut microbiome alterations in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD), with carotid atherosclerosis (CAS) serving as an example.

Evidence on gut microbial α-diversity and β-diversity was mixed and differs by disease status. Pro-inflammatory/pathogenic gut bacterial taxa (e.g., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Streptococcus spp., and Ruminococcus gnavus) were often enriched in patients with ACVD or CAS, whereas short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) producers (e.g., Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia spp., Bacteroides spp., and Eubacterium eligens) were depleted. Targeted and untargeted metabolomics implicated multiple microbial-derived metabolites in relation to ACVD and CAS, including trimethylamine N-oxide, short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, lipopolysaccharides, phenylacetylglutamine, indole-3-propionate and imidazole propionate. Gut dysbiosis contributes to ACVD or CAS possibly via metabolite-mediated effects on endothelial function, inflammation, and lipid metabolism. Future research prioritizing longitudinal and interventional studies integrating microbial metagenomics with host multi-omics are needed to elucidate causal pathways and identify clinically actionable targets.