Introduction Several lines of research have provided compelling evidence that the human microbiota plays an important control on various metabolic pathways of the host; alterations in gut microbiota are described in obese people, which can be related to alteration in energy expenditure and metabolic dysfunction. Materials and Methods 20 stool samples from 10 weight cycling obese patients (BMI = 33.9 ± 6.6 kg/m2) and 10 normal weight healthy controls (BMI = 22.2 ± 2 kg/m2) were collected. Obese patients had been on multidisciplinary treatment for weight loss for 4.3 ± 2.8 years. Barcoded amplicon libraries for the bacterial community analysis were generated using primers targeting the V3 and V4 hypervariable region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and Nextera XT index kit (Illumina, Inc.). Samples were sequenced and analysed with Ilumina MiSeq platform and the 16S Metagenomic App and the MiSeq Reporter software. Results Analysis of bacterial complexity revealed no statistically significant differences at phylum, order, family, and genus level between obese and healthy subjects, except for Oscillospira genus, depleted in obese (p = 0.006). When analysed individually, 6 out of 10 patients showed a relative abundance in Bacteroidetes, and 8 out of 10 controls showed an enrichment of Firmicutes. Furthermore, interesting profile at species taxonomic level was observed in obese patients: in fact, some species were significantly depleted, although the overall microbial diversity was not statistically different between the two groups. Discussion The patients had already been treated for several months; this, and the low number of patients might explain the low statistical relevance of most data. However, some interesting microbiome profiles at individual level confirm a high degree of variability in stool microbiome composition and diversity across individuals. Conclusions We confirm that there is no simple taxonomic signature of obesity in the microbiota of the human gut, as previously reported, and that a combination of technical and clinical factors may contribute to the different facets of gut microbiota in obese patients.
GUT MICROBIAL PROFILE IN WEIGHT CYCLING PATIENTS WITH OBESITY
DELEDDA, ANDREA;BOI, ALESSANDRO;SCANO, SIMONA;PISANU, SILVIA;LOVISELLI, ANDREA;PALMAS, VANESSA;CAMBONI, TANIA;ORRU, SANDRO;MANZIN, ALDO;VELLUZZI, FERNANDA
2016-01-01
Abstract
Introduction Several lines of research have provided compelling evidence that the human microbiota plays an important control on various metabolic pathways of the host; alterations in gut microbiota are described in obese people, which can be related to alteration in energy expenditure and metabolic dysfunction. Materials and Methods 20 stool samples from 10 weight cycling obese patients (BMI = 33.9 ± 6.6 kg/m2) and 10 normal weight healthy controls (BMI = 22.2 ± 2 kg/m2) were collected. Obese patients had been on multidisciplinary treatment for weight loss for 4.3 ± 2.8 years. Barcoded amplicon libraries for the bacterial community analysis were generated using primers targeting the V3 and V4 hypervariable region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene and Nextera XT index kit (Illumina, Inc.). Samples were sequenced and analysed with Ilumina MiSeq platform and the 16S Metagenomic App and the MiSeq Reporter software. Results Analysis of bacterial complexity revealed no statistically significant differences at phylum, order, family, and genus level between obese and healthy subjects, except for Oscillospira genus, depleted in obese (p = 0.006). When analysed individually, 6 out of 10 patients showed a relative abundance in Bacteroidetes, and 8 out of 10 controls showed an enrichment of Firmicutes. Furthermore, interesting profile at species taxonomic level was observed in obese patients: in fact, some species were significantly depleted, although the overall microbial diversity was not statistically different between the two groups. Discussion The patients had already been treated for several months; this, and the low number of patients might explain the low statistical relevance of most data. However, some interesting microbiome profiles at individual level confirm a high degree of variability in stool microbiome composition and diversity across individuals. Conclusions We confirm that there is no simple taxonomic signature of obesity in the microbiota of the human gut, as previously reported, and that a combination of technical and clinical factors may contribute to the different facets of gut microbiota in obese patients.
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