A Distinct Faecal Microbiota and Metabolite Profile Linked to Bowel Habits in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Bani Ahluwalia,Alastair B Ross,Cristina Iribarren,Hans Törnblom,Lena Öhman,Johanna Sundin,Egbert Clevers,Otto Savolainen,Magnus Simrén,Maria K Magnusson

doi:10.3390/cells10061459

Abstract

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are suggested to have an altered intestinal microenvironment. We therefore aimed to determine the intestinal microenvironment profile, based on faecal microbiota and metabolites, and the potential link to symptoms in IBS patients. The faecal microbiota was evaluated by the GA-mapTM dysbiosis test, and tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS) was used for faecal metabolomic profiling in patients with IBS and healthy subjects. Symptom severity was assessed using the IBS Severity Scoring System and anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A principal component analysis based on faecal microbiota (n = 54) and metabolites (n = 155) showed a clear separation between IBS patients (n = 40) and healthy subjects (n = 18). Metabolites were the main driver of this separation. Additionally, the intestinal microenvironment profile differed between IBS patients with constipation (n = 15) and diarrhoea (n = 11), while no clustering was detected in subgroups of patients according to symptom severity or anxiety. Furthermore, ingenuity pathway analysis predicted amino acid metabolism and several cellular and molecular functions to be altered in IBS patients. Patients with IBS have a distinct faecal microbiota and metabolite profile linked to bowel habits. Intestinal microenvironment profiling, based on faecal microbiota and metabolites, may be considered as a future non-invasive diagnostic tool, alongside providing valuable insights into the pathophysiology of IBS.

Highlights

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a multifactorial disease involving a perturbed gut–brain interaction [1], visceral hypersensitivity [2], altered gastrointestinal (GI) motility [3], increased permeability, immune activation [4] and an altered gut microenvironment [5].Currently, the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is based on symptom-based criteria, and in most cases, a 4.0/).limited number of tests are carried out to exclude other organic GI diseases [6]
We further explored whether the intestinal microenvironment composition differed between subgroups of IBS patients classified according to the predominant bowel habit, symptom severity and anxiety
We demonstrated that IBS patients can be differentiated from healthy

Summary

Introduction

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a multifactorial disease involving a perturbed gut–brain interaction [1], visceral hypersensitivity [2], altered gastrointestinal (GI) motility [3], increased permeability, immune activation [4] and an altered gut microenvironment [5].Currently, the diagnosis of IBS is based on symptom-based criteria, and in most cases, a 4.0/).limited number of tests are carried out to exclude other organic GI diseases [6]. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a multifactorial disease involving a perturbed gut–. The diagnosis of IBS is based on symptom-based criteria, and in most cases, a 4.0/). Limited number of tests are carried out to exclude other organic GI diseases [6]. Reliable disease-specific biomarkers for IBS are still lacking [6]. The gut microbiota produces a diverse range of metabolites from the anaerobic fermentation of exogenous undigested dietary compounds. These small and diverse molecules reach the colon and are used as energy sources and substrates in metabolic or signalling pathways, as well as influencing host immune response [9,10], reflecting the hosts’ physiological status [11].

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