#2070 Associations of fecal and plasma levels of SCFAs with gut microbiota and clinical characteristics in non-dialysis renal anemia patients

Abstract

Abstract Background and Aims Renal anemia is one of the most common complications of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). The gut-kidney axis hypothesis has led to numerous studies showing that patients with CKD have a distinct gut microbiota structure compared with controls and that changes in gut microbiota correlate with disease severity and progression. The short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are speculated to be pivotal in the gut-kidney crosstalk. However, the role of SCFAs in renal anemia has not been elucidated. This study aimed to explore and compare the fecal and plasma levels of SCFAs in non-dialysis renal anemia patients and healthy controls to reveal the potential interactions among SCFAs, gut microbiota, and clinical features of renal anemia, which may provide new light on further studies. Method A cohort of 30 non-dialysis renal anemia patients and 20 healthy controls were recruited from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University. Gut microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene amplification sequencing. Fecal and plasma concentrations of SCFAs were measured using GC-MS/MS platform. The clinical characteristics of patients with renal anemia and controls were evaluated. Results Renal anemia patients displayed altered microbiota composition compared to healthy subjects. The relative abundance of Enterobacterales, Enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia-Shigella, and Escherichia-coli were higher in patients with renal anemia, and the Lachnospiraceae family decreased in renal anemia patients. In contrast, the relative abundance of Lachnospirales, Lachnospiraceae, and Bacteroides vulgatus was higher in the control group. Patients with renal anemia had higher fecal and plasma concentrations of SCFAs compared to controls. The fecal and plasma concentrations of SCFAs were significantly different not only between the patients with renal anemia and controls but also in the different severity of renal anemia. Moreover, different types of SCFAs are intimately associated with clinical characteristics. The applications of medications may exert effects on the fecal and plasma SCFAs. A positive correlation was obtained between Lachnospirales and the plasma SCFAs. The levels of acetic acid and caproic acid in fecal and the levels of acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid in plasma were all positively correlated with the abundance of Cyanobacteria. Conclusion The gut metabolites SCFAs are tightly linked to the alterations of gut microbiota and clinical characteristics of renal anemia. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the relationships more in-depth.