Objective To evaluate the effect of
liver transplantation on
intestinal microflora in
children with
biliary atresia.
Methods The fecal samples and
liver function indexes of 16
children with
biliary atresia before and 6 months after
liver transplantation were collected, and 10 healthy
children were selected as the healthy controls.
DNA extraction and
metagenome sequencing were carried out in the fecal samples.
Statistical analysis was performed by
software packages, such as R
language. The changes of species structure and functional composition of
intestinal microflora after
liver transplantation were analyzed. The recovery of
intestinal microflora in
children with
biliary atresia after
liver transplantation was assessed. The relationship between
intestinal microflora and
liver function indexes was investigated. Results Following
liver transplantation, the number of species of
intestinal microflora in
children with
biliary atresia was increased. The opportunistic pathogens were the dominant species of
intestinal microflora in
children with
biliary atresia before
liver transplantation. The abundance of opportunistic pathogens was decreased and the abundance of
short-chain fatty acid-producing
bacteria was increased after
liver transplantation (all P < 0.05). Following
liver transplantation,
lipid metabolism,
amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism,
metabolism of cofactors and
vitamins were enhanced, whereas
infectious diseases of bacterial,
immune diseases and
drug resistance were weakened. Compared with the healthy
control group, there were no statistically significant differences in the diversity and structure of
intestinal microflora in the post-
liver transplant group, but different species were observed between two groups. The
liver function indexes of
children with
biliary atresia after
liver transplantation tended to decline (all P < 0.000 1). The abundance of beneficial
intestinal microflora was negatively correlated with
liver function indexes, whereas the abundance of opportunistic pathogens was positively correlated with
liver function indexes (all P < 0.05). Conclusions
Liver transplantation may significantly improve the structure and functional composition of
intestinal microflora in
children with
biliary atresia.