Abstract
In this work, we investigate differences in gut microbial diversity driven by drug use or by the widely used methods for drug cessation: methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and compulsory detention (CD). Methods: 99 participants (28 CD participants, 16 MMT patients, 27 drug users, and 28 healthy controls) were selected using strict inclusion criteria. Nutritional intake and gut microbial diversity were analyzed with bioinformatics tools and SPSS 20.0. Results: Alpha diversity was not significantly different among groups, whereas beta diversity of gut microbiota and nutrient intake were significantly higher among MMT patients. Taxa were unevenly distributed between groups, with drug users having the highest proportion of Ruminococcus and MMT patients having the highest abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus. Conclusion: Drug use, cessation method, and diet contribute to shaping human gut communities. High beta diversity among MMT patients is likely driven by methadone use and high nutrient intake, leading to increased orexin A and enrichment for beneficial bacteria, while diversity in CD participants is largely influenced by diet.
Highlights
Drug abuse and addiction is an urgent social health problem accompanied by several serious diseases and disorders, especially a high prevalence of HIV [1], HCV [2], HBV, and syphilis [3]
Ninety-nine participants from the Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan Province, comprised the full cohort, including 28 compulsory detention (CD) participants treated in a compulsory isolation drug rehabilitation center for one or two years, 16 maintenance treatment (MMT) patients (MP) using methadone chronically as an alternative therapy for illicit drug addiction, current drug users (DU) participants with narcotic and psychotropic drug use disorders, and healthy controls (HC) participants working in the Mengzi City Center for Disease Prevention and Control, who were enlisted as control subjects
In order to determine differences in human gut microbial community structure related to the process of recovery from substance abuse, we analyzed the demographic data, drug abuse behavior data, diet data, and fecal microbiome data from four experimental groups, including former drug users who ceased use at least one year previously through compulsory detention treatment (CD), current drug users (DU), patients in recovery undergoing methadone maintenance treatment (MP), and healthy control subjects (HC)
Summary
Drug abuse and addiction is an urgent social health problem accompanied by several serious diseases and disorders, especially a high prevalence of HIV [1], HCV [2], HBV, and syphilis [3]. Programs have been developed to promote drug control through law enforcement and abstinence [7] in order to reduce drug use and facilitate the transition to a healthy lifestyle for former drug users. Many options, such as behavioral counselling, medication, medical devices [8], and drug rehabilitation centers [9], have been successfully implemented for treatment of drug addiction. Treatment by compulsory detention (CD) in a drug rehabilitation center is an important modality for drug cessation [9]
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