Altered gut microbiota after traumatic splenectomy is associated with endotoxemia

Abstract

Splenectomy carries a long-term risk of postoperative infection, and the chronic, low-grade inflammation associated with endotoxemia may be related to the gut microbiota. In this study, to increase our understanding of the potential cause of the high rate of infection in postsplenectomy patients, we evaluated the differences in the gut microbiota and plasma lipopolysaccharide level of patients after splenectomy relative to those of healthy controls. Thirty-two patients having undergone splenectomy and 42 healthy individuals were enrolled into the splenectomy (SP) and healthy control (HC) groups, respectively. The SP group was subdivided into three subgroups according to the length of their postoperative time. Fecal samples were used for gut microbiota analysis via 16s rRNA gene sequencing, blood examinations and plasma lipopolysaccharide measurements were also taken. Significant differences were observed in gut microbiota composition with regard to the relative bacterial abundances of 2 phyla, 7 families, and 15 genera. The lipopolysaccharide level was significantly higher in the SP group than in the HC group and were negatively associated with five bacterial families with low abundance in the SP group. The degree of the microbiota alteration increased with the length of the postoperative time. The PICRUSt analysis showed that the relative abundances of lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis proteins and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis pathways were higher in the SP group and were positively associated with the plasma lipopolysaccharide level. Significant alterations were observed in the gut microbiota of the splenectomized patients and were associated with plasma lipopolysaccharide level. Further studies are needed to verify whether such alterations after splenectomy are related to an increased risk of complications.

Lack of Gut Secretory Immunoglobulin A in Memory B-Cell Dysfunction-Associated Disorders: A Possible Gut-Spleen Axis

“…Thus, the responses occurring in the organized lymphoid tissue of the gut and in the lymph nodes throughout the body were not sufficient to fully re-construct the continuous film of SIgA in the gut. Of note, these findings may provide a pathophysiological explanation for the gut microbiota alterations over time after splenectomy and the higher susceptibility observed in splenectomized patients to infections sustained by enteric bacteria, including Enterococci, Escherichia coli (E. coli), and other enterobacteria (49,50).…”

Ochratoxin A induces liver inflammation: involvement of intestinal microbiota

“…Although the Bacteroides (Gram-negative bacteria) is often associated with the leanness and other desirable health traits [45, 46], some of its strains (e.g., Bacteroides fragilis, Bacteroides vulgatus , and Bacteroides dorei ) have been linked to abdominal infections, metabolic disease, and inflammation [47, 48]. LPS or endotoxin is the main component of Gram-negative bacteria and induces inflammatory responses after across the mucosa [49–51]. After translocation in the portal circulation through enterohepatic recycling, LPS or the translocated microbiota, such as L. monocytogenes , contributes to inflammation through the engagement of various pattern-recognizing receptors (PRRs), including TLR4 or activation of NF-κB [52, 53].…”

Preoperative Microbiomes and Intestinal Barrier Function Can Differentiate Prodromal Alzheimer’s Disease From Normal Neurocognition in Elderly Patients Scheduled to Undergo Orthopedic Surgery

“…In addition, intestinal microbial dysbiosis has been observed in patients with pAD, including those suffering from MCI and amnestic MCI (aMCI) due to AD ( Li B. et al., 2019 ; Liu P. et al., 2019 ). Recently, it was observed that the composition and diversity of gut microbiota is altered in patients following surgery ( Zhu et al., 2018 ). However, to the best of our knowledge, no reports have described the preoperative gut microbiota in SCD and aMCI patients prior to surgery.…”