Research Center for High Altitude Medicine, Qinghai University Medical College, Xining City, China.
State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining City, China.
Microbiol Spectr. 2022 Dec 21;10(6):e0162622. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.01626-22. Epub 2022 Oct 27.
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of high-altitude hypoxic environments on the gut microbiota. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups, namely, the plain, moderate-altitude hypoxic, and high-altitude hypoxic groups. On the 3rd, 7th, 15th, and 30th days of exposure, fecal samples were collected and analyzed via 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiments were also performed. The results showed significant differences between the gut microbiota structure and diversity of rats in the high-altitude hypoxic group and those of rats in the other groups. Further, compared with that of rats in the plain group, the gut microbiota of rats in the two hypoxic groups showed the most significant changes on day 7. Furthermore, the gut microbiota of the rats in the FMT groups exhibited changes and became increasingly similar to those of the rats in the hypoxic groups. We also identified the phylum , genus , and genus as the core microbiota under hypoxic conditions. Phenotypic analysis indicated a decrease in the proportion of aerobic bacteria and an increase in that of anaerobic bacteria, possibly owing to the high-altitude hypoxic environment. Additionally, functional analysis showed significant differences between the different groups with respect to different metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism, glycan biosynthesis, and metabolism. These findings indicated significant changes in gut microbiota structure and diversity under high-altitude hypoxia, establishing a foundation for further research on the pathogenesis and development of diseases, as well as drug metabolism, under high-altitude hypoxia. In this study, we investigated the effects of high-altitude hypoxic environments with low oxygen levels on the gut microbiota characteristics of rats. We observed that high-altitude hypoxia is an important environmental factor that can affect gut microbiota structure and diversity, thereby affecting homeostasis in the host intestinal environment. These findings provide a basis for further studies on disease initiation and development, as well as drug metabolism, in high-altitude hypoxic environments.
本研究旨在探讨高原低氧环境对肠道微生物群的影响。雄性 Sprague-Dawley 大鼠随机分为三组，分别为平原组、中海拔缺氧组和高海拔缺氧组。在暴露的第 3、7、15 和 30 天，收集粪便样本并通过 16S rRNA 基因测序技术进行分析。还进行了粪便微生物群移植（FMT）实验。结果表明，高海拔缺氧组大鼠的肠道微生物群结构和多样性与其他组大鼠存在显著差异。此外，与平原组大鼠相比，两组缺氧组大鼠的肠道微生物群在第 7 天变化最为明显。此外，FMT 组大鼠的肠道微生物群发生了变化，并且越来越类似于缺氧组大鼠的肠道微生物群。我们还确定了门、属和属为缺氧条件下的核心微生物群。表型分析表明，需氧菌的比例下降，厌氧菌的比例增加，这可能是由于高原缺氧环境所致。此外，功能分析表明，不同组之间在不同代谢途径方面存在显著差异，包括碳水化合物代谢、能量代谢、聚糖生物合成和代谢。这些发现表明，在高原缺氧条件下，肠道微生物群结构和多样性发生了显著变化，为进一步研究高原缺氧条件下疾病的发病机制和发展以及药物代谢奠定了基础。在本研究中，我们研究了低氧水平的高原缺氧环境对大鼠肠道微生物群特征的影响。我们观察到，高原缺氧是影响肠道微生物群结构和多样性的重要环境因素，从而影响宿主肠道环境的内稳态。这些发现为进一步研究高原缺氧环境中的疾病发生和发展以及药物代谢提供了依据。
