Yonsei Med J.
2022 Mar;63(3):241-251. 10.3349/ymj.2022.63.3.241.
Distinct Gut Microbiota in Patients with Asymptomatic Hyperuricemia: A Potential Protector against Gout Development
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Medicine, The Graduate School, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- 2Hospital Medicine Center, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea
- 3Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- 4Research Institute of Bacterial Resistance, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- 5Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- KMID: 2526556
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2022.63.3.241
Abstract
- Purpose
Here, we aimed to elucidate the differences in microbiota composition between patients with gout and those with asymptomatic hyperuricemia (asHU) and determine the effect of uric acid-lowering therapy (ULT) on the gut microbiome.
Materials and Methods
Stool samples from patients with asHU (n=8) and three groups of gout patients, i.e., acute gout patients before ULT (0ULT, n=14), the same acute gout patients after 30-day ULT (30ULT, n=9), and chronic gout patients after ≥6-month ULT (cULT, n=18) were collected and analyzed using 16S rRNA gene-based pyrosequencing. The composition of microbial taxonomy and communities, species diversity, and relationships among microbial communities were elucidated by bioinformatic analysis.
Results
Gout patients showed less diverse gut microbiota than asHU patients. The microbiota of the asHU group exhibited a higher Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes (F/B) ratio and lower Prevotella-to-Bacteroides (P/B) ratio than the gout group; significantly, the F/B ratio increased in gout patients after ULT. Moreover, a balanced enterotype populated asHU patients compared to gout patients. Notably, the gut microbiota in asHU patients had a higher proportion of taxa with potentially anti-inflammatory effects compared to the gut microbiota in gout patients.
Conclusion
We found that microbial composition differs between asHU and gout patients. The differential gut microbiota in asHU patients may protect against gout development, whereas that in gout patients may have a role in gout provocation. ULT in gout patients altered the gut microbiota, and may help alleviate gout pathology and mitigate gout progression.
