Diminished representation of vitamin-B12-producing bacteria in constipated elders with frailty
Luqing Zhao,
Xin Deng,
Ning Ding,
Yanzhen Liu,
Yun Ma,
Jiake Li,
Shuqing Wang,
Xingyu Ji,
Jinjuan Wang,
Dianpeng Wang,
Yanhui Li,
Dan Dou,
Xihan Zhu,
Lixin Zhu,
Shengsheng Zhang
Affiliations
Luqing Zhao
Digestive Disease Center, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
Xin Deng
Digestive Disease Center, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
Ning Ding
Digestive Disease Center, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
Yanzhen Liu
Digestive Disease Center, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
Yun Ma
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100105, China
Jiake Li
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100105, China
Shuqing Wang
Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100105, China
Xingyu Ji
Digestive Disease Center, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
Jinjuan Wang
School of Mathematics and Statistics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Dianpeng Wang
School of Mathematics and Statistics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Yanhui Li
School of Mathematics and Statistics, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
Dan Dou
Digestive Disease Center, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
Xihan Zhu
Digestive Disease Center, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China
Lixin Zhu
Department of General Surgery (Colorectal Surgery), Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Diseases, Guangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, Biomedical Innovation Center, the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510655, China; Corresponding author
Shengsheng Zhang
Digestive Disease Center, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Constipation and frailty are associated with intestinal dysbiosis. This study aims to identify intestinal microbial signatures that can differentiate between constipated elders accompanied by frailty and those without frailty. We collected stool samples from 61 participants and conducted 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Constipated patients with frailty (Constipation_F) exhibited reduced gut microbial diversities compared to constipated patients without frailty (Constipation_NF) and healthy individuals (C). From differential genera, random forest models identified 14, 8, and 5 biomarkers for distinguishing Constipation_F from Constipation_NF, Constipation_F from C, and Constipation_NF from C, respectively. Functional analysis revealed that pathways (P381-PWY and PWY-5507) related to vitamin B12 synthesis were reduced in Constipation_F, which aligns with the decreased abundances of vitamin-B12-producing Actinomyces and Akkermansia in this group. Our study unveils substantial differences in gut microbiota between constipated elders with frailty and those without, underscoring the diagnostic and therapeutic potential of genera involved in vitamin B12 synthesis.
