Gut Microbiota and Coronary Plaque Characteristics

Abstract

Background The relationship between gut microbiota and in vivo coronary plaque characteristics has not been reported. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between gut microbiota and coronary plaque characteristics in patients with coronary artery disease. Methods and Results Patients who underwent both optical coherence tomography and intravascular ultrasound imaging and provided stool and blood specimens were included. The composition of gut microbiota was evaluated using 16S rRNA sequencing. A total of 55 patients were included. At the genus level, 2 bacteria were associated with the presence of thin‐cap fibroatheroma, and 9 bacteria were associated with smaller fibrous cap thickness. Among them, some bacteria had significant associations with inflammatory/prothrombotic biomarkers. Dysgonomonas had a positive correlation with interleukin‐6, Paraprevotella had a positive correlation with fibrinogen and negative correlation with high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, Succinatimonas had positive correlations with fibrinogen and homocysteine, and Bacillus had positive correlations with fibrinogen and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein. In addition, Paraprevotella , Succinatimonas , and Bacillus were also associated with greater plaque volume. Ten bacteria were associated with larger fibrous cap thickness. Some were associated with protective biomarker changes; Anaerostipes had negative correlations with trimethylamine N‐oxide, tumor necrosis factor α, and interleukin‐6, and Dielma had negative correlations with trimethylamine N‐oxide, white blood cells, plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1, and homocysteine, and a positive correlation with high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Conclusions Bacteria that were associated with vulnerable coronary plaque phenotype and greater plaque burden were identified. These bacteria were also associated with elevated inflammatory or prothrombotic biomarkers. Registration URL: https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/ ; Unique identifier: UMIN000041692.

Vitamin K2 supplementation improves impaired glycemic homeostasis and insulin sensitivity for type 2 diabetes through gut microbiome and fecal metabolites

“…On the other hand, after MK-7 intervention, the genera Barnesiella , Paraprevotella , Turicibacter , Anaerofilum , and Dielma were increased in the VK6 group (Fig. 2 D), which have been implicated to be involved in the regulation of the immuno-inflammatory response in human and animal studies [ 40 – 44 ]. It should be emphasized that the daily intake of vitamin K2 accounts for only 10–25% of the total vitamin K [ 45 , 46 ], and a significant proportion of vitamin K2 intake is produced by the gut microbiota [ 47 ].…”

Growth performance and cecal microbiota of broiler chicks as affected by drinking water disinfection and/or herbal extract blend supplementation

“…Further bacteria composition analysis revealed that drinking water treated with chlorate decreased cecal Dysgonomonas and Providencia abundance. The abundance of Dysgonomonas is positively correlated to the levels of intestinal inflammation/prethrombotic markers ( Nakajima et al, 2022 ). Providencia is also a pathogen, and has been demonstrated to play an etiologic role in acute intestinal diseases as early as 1977 ( Kholodkova et al, 1977 ).…”

Gut Microbiota and Cardiovascular Disease: Evidence on the Metabolic and Inflammatory Background of a Complex Relationship

“…The increase in Enterobacteriaceae is associated with larger coronary plaque fibrotic area and more severe coronary atherosclerosis [62]. Recent studies have shown a correlation between specific intestinal bacteria (i.e., Dysgonomonas, Paraprevotella, Succinatimonas, and Bacillus) and plaque vulnerability, intended as the presence of a thin-cap fibroatheroma, lipid-rich plaque with necrotic core, macrophages, microvessels, cholesterol crystals, and large plaque burden [63]. Moreover, marked overexpression of TMA-producing intestinal microbial enzymes was observed in patients with coronary artery disease compared with healthy controls [64].…”