Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, St. Anna University Hospital, 44124 Ferrara, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 1;24(3):2720. doi: 10.3390/ijms24032720.
The gut microbiota is involved in the development of the immune system and can modulate the risk for immune-mediated disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Dysbiosis has been demonstrated in MS patients and its restoration by disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) is hypothesized. We aimed to study the changes in gut microbiota composition during the first 6 months of treatment with dimethyl fumarate (DMF), an oral DMT, and to identify the microorganisms associated with DMF side effects. We collected and analyzed the gut microbiota of 19 MS patients at baseline and after 1, 3, and 6 months of DMF treatment. We then cross-sectionally compared gut microbiota composition according to the presence of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and flushing. Overall, the gut microbiota biodiversity showed no changes over the 6-month follow-up. At the genus level, DMF was associated with decreased abundance after 6 months. In subjects reporting side effects, a higher abundance of , , , , , , and Tenericutes and lower of , , , , and some Proteobacteria families were detected. Our results suggest that gut microbiota may be involved in therapeutic action and side effects of DMF, representing a potential target for improving disease course and DMT tolerability.
肠道微生物群参与免疫系统的发育，并可以调节多发性硬化症（MS）等免疫介导的疾病的风险。已经在 MS 患者中证明了微生物失调，并且假设通过疾病修饰治疗（DMT）来恢复它。我们旨在研究在接受二甲基富马酸（DMF）治疗的前 6 个月中肠道微生物群组成的变化，DMF 是一种口服 DMT，并确定与 DMF 副作用相关的微生物。我们在基线时和 DMF 治疗 1、3 和 6 个月后收集并分析了 19 名 MS 患者的肠道微生物群。然后，我们根据胃肠道（GI）症状和潮红的存在对肠道微生物群组成进行了横断面比较。总体而言，肠道微生物群多样性在 6 个月的随访中没有变化。在属水平上，6 个月后 DMF 与丰度降低有关。在报告副作用的受试者中，检测到更高的 abundance of 、 、 、 、 、 和 Tenericutes，以及较低的 abundance of 、 、 、 和一些 Proteobacteria 家族。我们的结果表明，肠道微生物群可能参与 DMF 的治疗作用和副作用，代表改善疾病进程和 DMT 耐受性的潜在靶点。
