Structural and functional characteristics of the fecal-associated microbiome in dampness-heat constitution

Abstract

IntroductionSusceptibility to lipid metabolic dysfunction are more frequent in individuals with dampness-heat (DH) constitution, which might be caused by the changes in the gut microbiome. This study is to explore the structural and functional characteristics of the fecal-associated microbiome (FAM) in DH constitution and screen FAM-related biomarkers of DH constitution. MethodsFecal samples were collected. The FAM structure was described with alpha/beta diversity indexes and relative abundances of dominant taxa; the distribution/functional differences of the FAM between DH and balanced constitutions were analyzed by Wilcoxon rank-sum test, MetagenomeSeq and LEfSe analysis, and the specific OTUs were screened to construct ROC curve. ResultsThere was a significant difference between the groups in the sweet preference, ACE and Chao1 indexes. In PCoA and PLS-DA, the bacterial communities in the balanced samples and DH samples clustered separately. Notably, there were 115 differentially distributed OTUs between groups identified in the MetagenomeSeq analysis and 213 OTUs identified with the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Predicted functions showed that 12 metabolic pathways were differentially distributed between groups, including the pathway related to glycerolipid metabolism. The AUC of ROC curve based on the 4 screened specific OTUs was 0.91, and the relative abundance of these 4 OTUs could result in changes in lipid metabolism. ConclusionUnique FAM structural characteristics were identified in DH constitution, which might involve in changes in lipid metabolism and susceptibility to lipid metabolic dysfunction. The 4 screened specific OTUs could be used as potential biomarkers of DH constitution to assist clinical diagnosis.