Liu Mingzhu, Li Mengyao, Jin Siyan, Wang Xia, Geng Jiawei, Liu Xiaoli
Ophthalmologic Center of the Second Hospital, Jilin University, Ziqiang Street 218, Changchun, PR China.
Heliyon. 2024 Oct 15;10(20):e39393. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e39393. eCollection 2024 Oct 30.
Behcet's uveitis (BU) is a type of uveitis with a high rate of blindness, characterized by anterior segment inflammation, vitreous opacity, and retinal vasculitis. Its pathogenesis is still unclear. Fuchs syndrome (Fuchs) is another common type of uveitis, which clinically presents with anterior segment inflammation and vitreous opacity, but rarely causes blindness. This study aims to compare the gut microbiota and metabolites of two different types of uveitis to clarify whether the differences in clinical manifestations are relevant to the alterations in gut microbiota.
Faecal samples were collected from new-onset BU (n = 11) patients without systemic treatment and other diseases. 16S rRNA and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were performed to analyze gut microbes and metabolites. Fuchs (n = 15) was used as the disease control, and healthy controls (n = 18) without autoimmune diseases and systemic medication were included.
Microbial composition and metabolite profiles differed significantly among the three groups. Compared to controls, Fusicatenibacter and eight metabolites were specifically altered in BU patients, and Pantoea and five metabolites in Fuchs. Pathways involving delta-tocopherol, palmitic acid, and serotonin are significantly disrupted in BU patients. Pathways involving linoleic acid are dysregulated considerably in Fuchs. Microbial markers consisting of 4 genera and 7 metabolites can respectively distinguish BU patients from controls. AUC values of metabolite markers were greater than those of microbial markers. Furthermore, serum zonulin levels were significantly elevated in both types of uveitis, with no difference between them. Correlation analysis revealed correlations between zonulin levels and multiple microbes.
Patients with BU and Fuchs syndrome showed significant differences in gut microbiota and metabolites. Disruption of the intestinal mucosal barrier was observed in both types of uveitis. However, the mechanism of different intestinal microbiota causing different clinical manifestations needs to be studied in the future.
白塞氏葡萄膜炎（BU）是一种致盲率很高的葡萄膜炎，其特征为眼前节炎症、玻璃体混浊和视网膜血管炎。其发病机制仍不清楚。富克斯综合征（Fuchs）是另一种常见的葡萄膜炎类型，临床上表现为眼前节炎症和玻璃体混浊，但很少导致失明。本研究旨在比较两种不同类型葡萄膜炎的肠道微生物群和代谢产物，以阐明临床表现的差异是否与肠道微生物群的改变有关。
收集未经系统治疗且无其他疾病的初发BU患者（n = 11）的粪便样本。采用16S rRNA和液相色谱-串联质谱（LC-MS/MS）分析肠道微生物和代谢产物。将Fuchs患者（n = 15）作为疾病对照，并纳入无自身免疫性疾病和全身用药的健康对照（n = 18）。
三组之间的微生物组成和代谢产物谱存在显著差异。与对照组相比，BU患者中梭菌属和8种代谢产物有特异性改变，Fuchs患者中泛菌属和5种代谢产物有特异性改变。涉及δ-生育酚、棕榈酸和血清素的代谢途径在BU患者中显著紊乱。涉及亚油酸的代谢途径在Fuchs患者中失调明显。由4个属和7种代谢产物组成的微生物标志物可分别区分BU患者和对照组。代谢产物标志物的AUC值大于微生物标志物。此外，两种类型的葡萄膜炎患者血清中闭合蛋白水平均显著升高，且两者之间无差异。相关性分析显示闭合蛋白水平与多种微生物之间存在相关性。
BU和Fuchs综合征患者在肠道微生物群和代谢产物方面存在显著差异。两种类型的葡萄膜炎均观察到肠道黏膜屏障的破坏。然而，不同肠道微生物群导致不同临床表现的机制有待于今后进一步研究。
