Association of Tongue Bacterial Flora and Subtypes of Liver-Fire Hyperactivity Syndrome in Hypertensive Patients.

Jie-Wei Luo,Cong-Huai Lin,Wei-Wei Chen,Xiao Yang,Yong-Xi Wu,Yao-Bin Zhu,Xing-Yu Zheng

doi:10.1155/2018/9536924

Abstract

Structural changes in symbiotic human microorganisms can affect host phenotype. Liver-fire hyperactivity syndrome (LFHS) presents as bitter taste, halitosis, xerostomia, odontalgia, and other oral symptoms. LFHS is associated with hypertension (EH). In this study, tongue flora was analyzed to further understand the intrinsic relationship between tongue flora and LFHS. Samples of tongue coating, from 16 patients with EH-LFHS, 16 with EH-non-LFHS, and 16 controls, were obtained; then, 16S rRNA variable (V3-V4) regions were amplified and sequenced by MiSeq PE300 Sequencing. Tag clustering and Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) abundance analysis were used to compare the OTU sequence with the 16S database. The species were classified, and diversity and structure of the bacterial flora were compared between the three groups. Alpha diversity analysis, including Observed Species index and Chao index, indicated significantly higher richness of species in patients with EH-LFHS (p < 0.05). Higher phylogenetic diversity, in patients with EH-non-LFHS, indicates greater differences in evolutionary history than in patients with EH-LFHS. Streptococcus, Rothia, Neisseria, and Sphingomonas were the most prevalent in patients with EH-LFHS, differed from the other two groups. This indicates that richer bacterial diversity, and structure associated with EH-LFHS, may affect the occurrence, development, and outcome of hypertension and syndrome subtypes recognized by TCM.

Highlights

The human microbiome refers to the collective genomes of microorganisms that reside in and on the human body [1]
Human Oral Microbiome Database (HOMD) provides a detailed record of the type, metabolism, and pathogenicity of oral bacteria
Alpha diversity reflects the diversity of the species in individual samples including Observed Species index, Chao index, and phylogenetic diversity (PD) whole tree index [14]

Summary

Introduction

The human microbiome refers to the collective genomes of microorganisms (symbiotic and pathogenic) that reside in and on the human body [1]. The microbiome is fundamentally important to the metabolism of the body. HOMD provides a detailed record of the type, metabolism, and pathogenicity of oral bacteria. Examination of the tongue is fundamentally important, because the tongue is considered a mirror of visceral changes that can predict an alteration in internal “Yin” and “Yang” of the body. In TCM, examination of the tongue provides an objective assessment of the state of habitus (strong or weak) and the rise and fall of vital Qi, which can be prognostic. The microbial flora, which coats the tongue, is formed by the Qi of the spleen and stomach. Pathologies of the stomach can be reflected in the composition and appearance of the tongue flora [4]

Methods

Results

Conclusion