Altered Gut Microbiota and Plasma Metabolome Profiles Characterize Depression Individuals with Ischemic Stroke: A Comparative Analysis.

PURPOSE

Depression has been recognized as a significant risk factor for ischemic stroke (IS). This study aimed to describe gut microbiota differences between depression people with and without IS, thereby establishing the link between gut microbiota and an elevated risk of IS development in people with depression.

PEOPLE AND METHODS

This study included 30 hospitalized patients with comorbid depression and IS, and 30 age-/sex-matched patients with depression alone. We used two approaches: (1) genetic analysis techniques (16S rRNA gene sequencing) to map gut microbial ecosystems, and (2) broad-spectrum chemical (nontargeted metabolomics) analysis to detect blood metabolites.

RESULTS

Alpha (α)-diversity and beta (β)-diversity of people with depression, with or without IS, did not show significant differences between the two groups. The IS group showed increased levels of gut bacteria carrying pro-inflammatory molecules, specifically Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae containing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) components, the Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) value =4.177, =0.014. Alongside, the IS group reduced populations of beneficial microbes that produce butyric acid important for gut health, such as Acidaminococcaceae (LDA value =4.045, =0.014), (LDA value =3.894, =0.007), and (LDA value =3.345, =0.012), compared to the non-IS group. 38 plasma metabolites with significant differences between people with IS and non-IS groups. The abundance of and was correlated with 9 and 4 metabolites, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study highlighted that people with depression and IS exhibited distinct alterations in both their gut microbiome and metabolite profiles, in contrast to people with depression without IS. These findings may guide future interventions targeting gut microbiota to identify IS in depression people.