Features of the intestinal microbiome in patients with thyroid diseases

Abstract

Introduction. Today the search and development of new methods for diagnosing organic or functional pathology of the thyroid gland with an asymptomatic or clinically nonspecific course is an urgent task of endocrinology and therapy. The functioning of the thyroid gland and the state of the human intestinal microbiome are dynamically interrelated. One of the considered promising methods is mass spectrometry of microbial markers of the human intestinal microbiota.The purpose of the study. To study the microbial spectrum and characteristics of the biotic environment of the intestine in patients with thyroid diseases.Materials and methods. 21 patients were examined (8 men and 13 women, median age 40.5 [31.75; 54] years, respectively; 15 with thyroid disease, 6 without thyroid disease). In addition to the standard clinical and laboratory-instrumental examination, patients, colon contents were examined by chromatography-mass spectrometry of microbial materials. The work used descriptive non-parametric statistics with subsequent interpretation. Mean values of indicators and their variance are presented as median, upper and lower quartiles. In relation to representatives of the fecal microbiota, in addition to absolute values, the frequency of occurrence of the microorganism within the reference range, moderate or pronounced deviations was taken into account. The determination of the statistical significance of differences in the relative frequency value was carried out using Fisher’s exact test. The presentation of the results is implemented in the form of range diagrams, compactly depicting a one-dimensional probability distribution, tables. Results. Differences in the composition of the microbiota of the control group and the experimental group for Alcaligenes spp., Staphylococcus spp., Megamonas hypermegale, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius were revealed.Conclusions. The development of thyroid gland pathology is accompanied by significant deviations in the composition of the fecal microbiota, determined by mass spectrometry of microbial markers. In persons with thyroid pathology, in the absence of clinically significant external influences on the intestinal microbiome, a pronounced decrease in the level of Alcaligenes spp., Staphylococcus spp., is detected, a tendency to a decrease in the level of Megamonas hypermegale, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius is determined. Further differentiated study of the composition of the intestinal microbiome in patients with thyroid diseases is required, depending on the nosological affiliation and the nature of the endocrine dysfunction.

Keywords

• gut microbiota
• gut microbiome
• thyroid diseases
• mass spectrometry
• microbial markers