Analysis of the intestinal flora in novel coronavirus pneumonia patients with arterial stiffness / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To analyze the composition and functional characteristics of the intestinal microflora in novel coronavirus pneumonia patients with arterial stiffness, in order to provide empirical evidence for rational use of intestinal microecological modulators.Methods:Patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia admitted to our hospital between April 5 and April 19, 2020 were enrolled as research subjects.They were divided into the stiffness group and the control group according to the results of arterial stiffness.Stool samples were collected within 7 days of admission.Intestinal flora DNA was analyzed and entered into a database, shotgun metagenomic sequencing was performed, and bioinformatics analysis was conducted based on sequencing results.Results:A total of 16 patients with novel coronavirus pneumonia were included in this study, including 7 in the stiffness group and 9 in the control group.Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and blood pressure were higher in the stiffness group than in the control group( P<0.05). Beta diversity analysis at the phylum level showed that there were significant differences in the composition of the intestinal flora between the two groups( P<0.05). Patients with arterial stiffness had a lower relative abundance than the controls in fecal Holdemanella, Mitsuokella, Deinococcus, Lachnospira, Turicibacter, Butyrivibrio, Sporomusa, and Halanaerobium, species associated with the production of short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs), regulation of energy metabolism, anti-radiation, anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effects.The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway enrichment analysis showed that the intestinal flora in the control group was mainly involved in the pathways of lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, metabolism of SCFA and other amino acids, and membrane transport, while the intestinal flora in the stiffness group was mostly concerned with the pathways of amino acid metabolism and DNA damage repair. Conclusions:The use of microbial agents capable of increasing short-chain fatty acids in patients with novel caronavirus infection may contribute to the restoration of intestinal flora homeostasis.