PREDICTION OF VITAMINS AND SHORT-CHAIN FATTY ACIDS SYNTHESIS PATHWAYS IN OBESE ADULTS

Abstract

Gut microbiota and its metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and vitamins are involved in maintaining energy homeostasis, which is relevant in the context of obesity. The aim was to screen the predicted representation of vitamin and SCFAs biosynthesis pathways based in patients with metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) and metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUHO). The study included two groups: a control group (n = 130) and obese patients (n = 133), which was divided into subgroups with MHO (n = 38) and MUHO (n = 55). The predicted representation of metabolic pathways for the biosynthesis of vitamins and SCFAs in feces was studied using PICRUSt2. Obese patients had an increase in the representation of the synthesis of vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B7, B9 and vitamin K pathways, as well as a decrease in the pathways for the vitamin B12 synthesis. At the same time, the identified changes were determined by the metabolic phenotype of obesity. MHO was accompanied by an imbalance in the B1 synthesis pathways and an increased representation of vitamin K formation pathways. Whereas MUHO led to an increase in the ability of the gut microbiota to synthesize vitamins B1, B2, B5, B6, B7, B9 and K, as well as to inhibition of the B12-synthesizing pathways. In addition, patients with MUHO had an increase in the representation of the pathways for the SCFAs synthesis such as acetate, propanoate, and butanoate, which was not observed in MHO patients. In general, the change in the metabolic pathways representation of gut microbiota in obese patients is the result of the microorganism’s “selection” under the influence of specific factors, which are more pronounced in MUHO. Thus, the imbalance in the pathways for the vitamins and short-chain fatty acids biosynthesis of the gut microbiome reflects a violation of the metabolic symbiosis within the superorganism (“microbiota-macroorganism”).