Intestinal microbiome as a diagnostic marker of coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: The intestinal microbiome has been recently linked to several metabolic and chronic disorders, one of which is coronary artery disease (CAD). Our study aimed to analyze the intestinal microbiome of CAD patients and assess the eligibility of dysbiosis as a diagnostic marker of CAD. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science were searched using terms, such as ‘CAD’ and ‘microbiome’. Only observational controlled studies were included. R version 4.2.2 was used for the analysis. Results: A significant association was found between the CAD group and increased Simpson and Shannon Indices compared with the control group (MD=0.04, 95% CI=0.03–0.05, and MD=0.11, 95% CI=0.01–0.22, respectively). Our analysis yielded a statistically significant association between the CAD group and increased Prevotella genus (MD=13.27, 95% CI=4.12–22.42, P-value=0.004), Catenibacterium genus (MD=0.09, 95% CI=0.09–0.10), Pseudomonas genus (MD=0.54, 95% CI=0.29–0.78, P-value), and Subdoligranulum (MD=−0.06, 95% CI=−0.06 to −0.06) compared with the control group. Another significant association was detected between the CAD group and decreased Bacteroides vulgatus and Bacteroides dorei (MD=−10.31, 95% CI=−14.78 to −5.84, P-value <0.00001). Conclusion: Dysbiosis is an acceptable diagnostic marker of CAD. Decreased B. dorei and B. vulgatus among CAD patients suggests a protective role of these bacteria. Future clinical trials are necessary to investigate the potential benefit of supplementation of these bacteria in treating or preventing CAD.