The alteration of fecal microbial and metabolic profile of gallstone patients in Taiwan: Single center study

Abstract

Background: Gallstone disease is a common health problem worldwide. The role of the gut microbiota in gallstone pathogenesis remains obscure. Our aim was to evaluate the association and crosstalk between gut microbiota, gut metabolomic, and metabolic parameters in cholesterol gallstone (CS) patients, pigmented gallstone (PS) patients, and controls. Methods: We collected stool samples from healthy individuals and patients with gallstones in our hospital from March 2019 to February 2021. 16s rRNA sequencing was performed, followed by differential abundance analyses. Measurement of bile acids and short-chain fatty acids was conducted via targeted metabolomics. Result: Thirty healthy individuals and 20 gallstone patients were recruited. The intergroup difference of microbial composition was significant between control and gallstone patients. The control group had more abundant Faecalibacterium, Prevotella 9 and Bacteroides plebeius DSM 17135. The CS group had higher Desulfovibrionaceae and Bacteroides uniformis than the other two groups, while the PS group had more abundant Escherichia-Shigella. In the analysis of metabolites, only n-butyric acid had a significantly higher concentration in the controls than in the gallstone group (p < 0.01). The level of 3α-hydroxy-12 ketolithocholic acid, deoxycholic acid, and cholic acid showed no intergroup differences, but was correlated to the serum cholesterol level and bacterial richness and evenness. Conclusion: Our study revealed the key taxa that can discriminate between individuals with or without gallstones. We also identified metabolites that are possibly associated with metabolic parameter and bacterial diversity. However, the correlation of the metabolites to certain clusters of bacteria should be analyzed in a larger cohort.