Gut microbiome characteristics in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus of Dongxiang Group in Gansu province

Xiaolan MA; Yanjun HOU; Zhiming MA; Xuejian HU; Dan GE

ABSTRACT

Objective:

To investigate the region-specific characteristics of the gut microbiota and evaluate the association of speci?c gut microbes with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) from the Dongxiang Group in Gansu province, Northwest China.

Methods:

Fifty-three participants who was born in Dongxiang Autonomous County (Gansu Province) from April 2020 to January 2021 were enrolled, including 25 patients with T2DM recruited from the outpatient departments of internal medicine at The People′s Hospital of Dongxiang County(T2DM group) and 28 healthy controls recruited from the health screening center (HC group). Gut microbiome composition was analyzed using a 16S ribosomal RNA gene-based sequencing protocol.

Results:

A total of 936 operational taxonomic units (OTU) were obtained in the two groups. Of note, the HC and T2DM groups had 633 OTU in common. The alpha and beta diversity were different between the two groups ( P<0.05). Shannon index was significantly higher than that in the HC group, and Simpson index was significantly lower than that in the HC group, displacement multivariate analysis of variance was used to compare β diversity between the two groups, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). At the Phylum level, firmicutes and actinomycetes in T2DM group were significantly higher than those in the HC group (37.97% vs. 22.89%, 5.09% vs. 2.08%), and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05). The abundance of Bacteroidetes was significantly decreased (68.00% in T2DM group and 49.75% in HC group), and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). At the genus level, there were 20 genera statistically significant differences between the two groups. The abundance of Bifidobacterium, Escherichia, Shigella, and Tyzzerella_4 levels were significantly increased in the T2DM group, but Prevotella_9, Erysipelotrichaceae_UCG-003, and Roseburia levels were significantly decreased in the T2DM group compared to those in the HC group.

Conclusions:

There is a significant difference in the gut microbiota between patients with T2DM and healthy individuals of the Dongxiang group in Northwest China. So as to preliminary exploration the intestinal flora characteristics of T2DM in the Dongxiang group.The findings of this study provide a theoretical basis for the prevention and control of T2DM in Dongxiang group in the future.