1. Sign our petition calling on Cochrane to withdraw their review of Exercise Therapy for CFS here.
    Dismiss Notice
  2. Guest, the 'News in Brief' for the week beginning 18th March 2024 is here.
    Dismiss Notice
  3. Welcome! To read the Core Purpose and Values of our forum, click here.
    Dismiss Notice

Association of Fecal and Plasma Levels of Short-Chain Fatty Acids With Gut Microbiota and Clinical Severity in Parkinson Disease Patients, 2022, Chen

Discussion in 'Other health news and research' started by Andy, Jan 9, 2022.

  1. Andy

    Andy Committee Member

    Messages:
    21,810
    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    Abstract
    Background and Objectives: Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are gut microbial metabolites that promote the disease process in a rodent model of Parkinson’s disease (PD), but fecal levels of SCFAs in PD patients are reduced. Simultaneous assessments of fecal and plasma SCFA levels, and their inter-relationships with the PD disease process are scarce. We aimed to compare fecal and plasma levels of different SCFAs subtypes in PD patients and healthy controls to delineate their interrelations and link to gut microbiota changes and clinical severity of PD.

    Methods: A cohort of 96 PD patients and 85 controls were recruited from National Taiwan University Hospital. Fecal and plasma concentrations of SCFAs were measured using chromatography and mass spectrometry. Gut microbiota was analyzed using metagenomic shotgun sequencing. Body mass index and medical co-morbidities were evaluated, and dietary information was obtained using a food frequency questionnaire. To assess motor and cognitive impairment, we used the Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) and the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE).

    Results: Compared with controls, PD patients had lower fecal but higher plasma concentrations of acetate, propionate, and butyrate. After adjustment for age, sex, disease duration, and anti-PD medication dosage, MDS-UPDRS part III motor scores correlated with reduced fecal levels of acetate (ρ = -0.37, p = 0.012), propionate (ρ = -0.32, p = 0.036), and butyrate (ρ = -0.40, p = 0.004) and with increased plasma propionate concentrations (ρ = 0.26, p = 0.042) in PD patients. MMSE scores negatively correlated with plasma levels of butyrate (ρ = -0.09, p = 0.027) and valerate (ρ = -0.032, p = 0.033) after adjustment for confounders. SCFAs-producing gut bacteria correlated positively with fecal levels of SCFAs in healthy controls but revealed no association in patients with PD. In the PD patient group, the abundance of pro-inflammatory microbes, such as Clostridiales bacterium NK3B98 and Ruminococcus sp. AM07-15, significantly correlated with decreased fecal levels and increased plasma levels of SCFAs, especially propionic acid.

    Discussion: Reductions in fecal SCFAs but increased plasma SCFAs were observed in PD patients and corelated to specific gut microbiota changes and the clinical severity of PD.

    Open access, https://n.neurology.org/content/early/2022/01/07/WNL.0000000000013225
     
    Hutan, Ash, Peter Trewhitt and 3 others like this.
  2. Midnattsol

    Midnattsol Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    3,574
    Wow, they actually collected some dietary information! There have been talk about two types of PD, where one has pre-symptomatic GI changes which could be the cause of the PD symptoms. Gut microbiome metabolites can play into that. I wonder if it is increased gut permeability that make the fatty acids enter the bloodstream rather than stay in the feces, or if it is something else (these SCFAs produced by the gut microbiome are mostly used as energy for the cells lining the intestine, not entering the blood). I haven't read the paper though.
     
    Hutan, Hoopoe, Ash and 5 others like this.
  3. Mij

    Mij Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    8,204
    I'm guessing this is case with most neurological diseases? Alterations of the enteric nervous system?
     
    Midnattsol, Ash and Peter Trewhitt like this.
  4. Midnattsol

    Midnattsol Moderator Staff Member

    Messages:
    3,574
    It is also seen in other chronic illnesses.
     
    Amw66 and Mij like this.
  5. Amw66

    Amw66 Senior Member (Voting Rights)

    Messages:
    6,262
    I may be misremembering but did Chris Armstrong 's gut research not pick up similar issues ?
     
  6. Andy

    Andy Committee Member

    Messages:
    21,810
    Location:
    Hampshire, UK
    Can't recall that but recently two preprints from two of the NIH's Collaborative Research Centers highlighted gut microbiome populations similar to that reported above.
     
    Amw66 likes this.

Share This Page