Changes in the gut bacteria composition associated with metabolic syndrome

Abstract

Obesity, arterial hypertension, disorders of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, which form the metabolic syndrome, remain the leading risk factors for the development of cardiovascular complications and oncological diseases. Overnutrition and a sedentary lifestyle leading to the metabolic syndrome formation are also interconnected with another potential pathogenetic factor of obesity, the gut microbiota. The study of its composition, as well as its metabolites, can serve as a basis for predicting metabolic disorders and for the development of an integrated approach to the metabolic syndrome treatment using probiotic therapy. The clinical assessment of the gut microbiota composition in patients with MS was carried out to identify bacterial taxa potentially associated with the development of MS. Materials (feces) were collected from 113 patients: the first group (n = 59) consisted of overweight patients (body mass index > 25.0) with metabolic disorders in the form of lipid and/or carbohydrate disorders (the average age 44 years). The control group (n = 54) consisted of patients with normal body weight (18.5 < body mass index < 25.0), without metabolic disorders, without arterial hypertension (the average age — 38 years). Fecal samples from patients were studied using 16S rRNA gene sequencing on the Illumina platform (MiSeq sequencer). The CDHIT-OTU-Miseq program was used to search for taxonomic units. Deoxyribonucleic acid libraries were prepared using the Illumina Nextera sample preparation kit with deoxyribonucleic acid primers corresponding to the V3–V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. In the gut microbiota composition of patients with metabolic syndrome we can highlight the phylum Actinobacteria, its 2 genera Actynomyces spp. and Bifidobacterium spp., as well as the genus Prevotella spp. and the class Gammaproteobacteria. It is assumed that bacterial species belonging to these type, class, and genera can be considered as potential marker bacteria of the metabolic syndrome.