Roseburia-Associated Gut-Brain Axis Alterations in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis: Evidence from a...

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Neuroimmunology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Gut microbiota dysbiosis is implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS) pathogenesis.
• Inconsistent findings highlight the need to control for environmental variability.
• Household-matched controls minimize confounding factors in MS gut microbiome research.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify microbial biomarkers for MS status and disease severity.
• Profile gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) patterns in people with relapsing-remitting MS (pwRRMS).
• Utilize household-matched healthy controls (HC) to reduce environmental variability.

Main Methods:

• Enrolled 24 pwRRMS and matched HC, monitoring diet and lifestyle.
• Assessed gut microbiota composition via 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
• Quantified fecal SCFAs using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; stratified pwRRMS by EDSS and MSSS.

Main Results:

• Reduced gut microbial alpha-diversity in pwRRMS, especially with higher disability.
• Lower abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria (e.g., Roseburia, Faecalibacterium) in pwRRMS.
• Decreased fecal butyrate and propionate levels correlated with reduced microbial diversity and MS severity.

Conclusions:

• Relapsing-remitting MS and increased disease severity correlate with gut microbial alterations.
• Reduced SCFA-producing bacteria characterize these microbial shifts.
• Targeting the gut microbiota via the gut-brain axis presents a potential therapeutic avenue for MS management.