Associations of the Gut Microbiota Composition and Fecal Short-Chain Fatty Acids with Leukocyte Telomere Length in Children Aged 6 to 9 Years in Guangzhou, China: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

BackgroundTelomere length (TL) serves as a marker of cellular senescence and appears to plateau between the age of 4 y and young adulthood, after which the gut microbiota are supposed to be established. However, scarce data are available regarding the correlation between gut microbiota composition and TL in the pediatric population. ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate whether the gut microbiota and the concentrations of SCFAs in feces are associated with leukocyte TL in children. MethodsIn total, 401 children aged 6–9 y from Guangzhou were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. qPCR was used to determine relative TL in peripheral blood leukocytes. The gut microbiota was characterized by 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing and the fecal concentrations of total SCFAs and SCFA subtypes were determined using HPLC. The multivariate methods with an unbiased variable selection (MUVR) algorithm and partial least square models were used to select predictable operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Further correlation analyses were performed based on multiple linear regression models with adjustment for covariates and false discovery rate. ResultsWith the use of MUVR, 35 relevant and minimal optimal OTUs were finally selected. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the abundance of several OTUs, including OTU334 (belonging to the genus Family XIII AD3011 group), OTU726 (belonging to the species Lachnoclostridium phocaeense), OTU1441 (belonging to the genus Ruminococcus torques group), OTU2553 (belonging to the genus Lachnospiraceae UCG-010), and OTU3375 (belonging to the family Lachnospiraceae), was negatively associated with leukocyte TL (β: –0.187 to –0.142; false discovery rate (FDR)–corrected P value (PFDR) = 0.009–0.035]. However, neither SCFA subtype nor total SCFA content in feces exhibited significant associations with TL (β: –0.032 to 0.048; PFDR = 0.915–0.969). ConclusionsThe gut microbiota, but not fecal SCFA concentration, was significantly associated with TL in this pediatric population.