Gut microbiota composition and its metabolites changes in patients with atherosclerosis and atrial fibrillation

Abstract

The aim: To check changes of gut microbiota composition and its metabolites in atherosclerosis (AS) patients with or without atrial fibrillation (AF) and special connections between them and important clinic and laboratory features of investigated groups. Materials and methods: 300 patients were investigated. All investigated were divided into 3 groups: control group (CG) – 27 patients without AS and arrhythmias; mean group – 149 patients with AS but without arrhythmias; comparable group – 124 patients with AS and AF paroxysm. By 16-S rRNA sequencing was checked gut microbiota composition. The level of trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), trimethylamine (TMA) plasma was determined by gas chromatography with mass electron detection. Results: The mean and comparable groups have the significant abundance of total bacterial mass, Bacteroides Spp., Faecalibacterium Prausnitzii, Actinobacter Spp. and decreasing RuminococcusSpp. In the comparable group to the mean significant increasing of ActinobacterSpp. and decreasing Eubacterium Rectale, RuminococcusSpp. were checked. Bacteroides Fragilis Group/ Faecalibacterium Prausnitzii ratio was significantly higher than in patients’ comparable group. In the mean group patients compared with CG significant abundance of StreptococcusSpp. was checked. In the comparable group compared with CG significant leak of EubacteriumRectale was checked. The highest amount of correlations was between Lactobacillus Spp., Streptococcus Spp. and clinic-laboratory changes. The mean and comparable groups the significant increasing of TMA ta TMAO plasma levels were checked. In patients of comparable group compared with patients mean group the significant increasing of TMAO plasma level was revealed. Conclusions: We checked special bacterial changes of gut microbiota that are common for patients with AS and AF comparable with AS patients. TMAO plasma levels are increased significantly for patients with AS and AF comparable with AS patients. Connections between AS and AF with TMAO plasma levels are confirmed by reliable correlations between TMAO and age, BMI, GFR, HDL levels. Special bacterial species are closely connected with age, BMI, GFR, HDL, LDL, plasma TMA and TMAO levels.