Abstract
Background Previous studies have reported that gut dysbiosis is observed in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and linked to the diseases. However, the relation with the pathogenesis remains unclear. We explored gut microbiota in patients with SLE and investigated the association with the onset and activity of disease and clinical findings
Methods Stool samples were collected from 25 patients with new-onset SLE (noSLE), 30 patients with SLE in remission (remSLE) and 30 healthy controls (HC). Stool samples from 23 patients with noSLE were collected at 3, 6 and 12 months after the treatment started. Microbial composition was determined by bacterial 16S rRNA analysis to examine α- and β- diversities and abundances of phylum, family, genus and species.
Results Patients with noSLE displayed altered α -diversity, decreases in butyrate-producing bacteria including Eubacterium rectale, Lachnospira pectinoshiza, Anaerostipes hadrus, Fusicatenibacter saccharivorans, and Anaerobutyricum halli, and increases in Hungatella efuluvii, Intestinibacter barrtletti, and Eisenbergiella tayi. Some had correlation with SLEDAI, while the others did not. Furthermore, the abundance of specific bacterial species was correlated with involved organs and the positivity of autoantibodies.
Conclusions Butyrate plays a role in the homeostasis of gut and regulation of immune cells, and therefore a decrease in butyrate-producing bacteria may be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. Our study suggests that the gut microbiota possibly contributes to the activity and clinical findings of SLE.
