Cross-sectional evaluation of gut microbial-host co-metabolites in patients with chronic pancreatitis.

Abstract

Gut bacteria facilitate nutrient metabolism and generate small molecules that form part of the broader "metabolome." It is unclear whether these metabolites are disturbed during chronic pancreatitis. This study aimed to evaluate the gut microbial-host co-metabolites and the relationship between them in patients with chronic pancreatitis. We collected fecal samples from 40 patients with chronic pancreatitis and 38 healthy family members with each sample undergoing 16S rRNA gene profiling and gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry , to estimate the relative abundance of specific bacterial taxa between the two groups and to profile any changes in the metabolome, respectively. Correlation analysis was used to evaluate differences in metabolites and bacteria between the two groups. The abundance of Actinobacteria was lower at the phylum level, and that of Bifidobacterium was lower at the genus level in the chronic pancreatitis group metabolites had a significantly different. Oxoadipic acid and citric acid levels were positively correlated with Bifidobacterium abundance (Spearman's r = 0.306, and r = 0.33, respectively, p < 0.05),and the 3-methylindole concentration was negatively correlated with Bifidobacterium abundance (r = -0.252, p = 0.026). Gut microbiome and host microbiome metabolic products might be altered in patients with chronic pancreatitis. Evaluating gastrointestinal tract metabolite levels in this regard may further enhance our understanding of the pathogenesis and/or progression of chronic pancreatitis.