Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune-mediated diffuse connective tissue disease characterized by immune inflammation with an unclear aetiology and pathogenesis. This work profiled the intestinal flora and faecal metabolome of patients with SLE using 16S RNA sequencing and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). We identified unchanged alpha diversity and partially altered beta diversity of the intestinal flora. Another important finding was the increase in Proteobacteria and Enterobacteriales and the decrease in Ruminococcaceae among SLE patients. For metabolites, amino acids and short-chain fatty acids were enriched when long-chain fatty acids were downregulated in SLE faecal samples. KEGG analysis showed the significance of the protein digestion and absorption pathway, and association analysis revealed the key role of 3-phenylpropanoic acid and Sphingomonas. Sphingomonas were reported to be less abundant in healthy periodontal sites of SLE patients than in those of HCs, indicating transmission of oral species to the gut. This study contributes to the understanding of the pathogenesis of SLE disease from the perspective of intestinal microorganisms, explains the pathogenesis of SLE, and serves as a basis for exploring potential treatments for the disease.
Highlights
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmunemediated diffuse connective tissue disease characterized by immune inflammation [1]
Intestinal Flora Is Different between SLE Patients and Healthy Groups
The average length of 99.87% of the sequence bars was within the range of 401450 bp, and a total of 2,159 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were retained for subsequent analysis
Summary
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmunemediated diffuse connective tissue disease characterized by immune inflammation [1]. Studies have shown that the occurrence and development of some autoimmune diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease [5, 6], rheumatoid arthritis [7, 8], and SLE [9, 10], are correlated with changes in intestinal microecology. Some studies found that the intestinal microbes of patients or animals with SLE were different from those of the control group through experimental models and clinical models [11,12,13], and the Journal of Immunology Research reconstruction of intestinal microecology through diet and drug regulation could help improve the severity of the disease [14]. The relationship between microbial metabolites and SLE remains unknown, and previously published studies are limited to adult patients. We collected the intestinal flora and metabolite data of 33 SLE children and 28 healthy controls (HCs) to clarify the pathogenesis of the disease from the perspective of intestinal microorganisms as much as possible, explain the pathogenesis of SLE, and serve as a basis for exploring potential treatments for the disease
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