The Cross-Talk between Microbiome and Metabolome in Rheumatoid Arthritis
Lidia La Barbera,
Chiara Rizzo,
Giulia Grasso,
Federica Macaluso,
Federica Camarda,
Francesco Ciccia,
Giuliana Guggino
Affiliations
Lidia La Barbera
Rheumatology Section, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche 2, 90110 Palermo, Italy
Chiara Rizzo
Rheumatology Section, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche 2, 90110 Palermo, Italy
Giulia Grasso
Rheumatology Section, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche 2, 90110 Palermo, Italy
Federica Macaluso
Rheumatology Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, AUSL-IRCCS, Via Giovanni Amendola, 2, 42122 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Federica Camarda
Rheumatology Section, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche 2, 90110 Palermo, Italy
Francesco Ciccia
Division of Rheumatology, Department of Precision Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, S. Andrea delle Dame—Via L. De Crecchio 7, 0138 Naples, Italy
Giuliana Guggino
Rheumatology Section, Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche 2, 90110 Palermo, Italy
Modern “omics” sciences, including metabolomics and microbiomics, are currently being applied to inflammatory autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), to investigate the interplay between microbiota, metabolic function, and the immune system. In recent decades, robust evidence has suggested that disruption of the normal composition of the microbiome, known as dysbiosis, in the gut and mouth of RA patients contributes to immune dysregulation and alterations in the metabolic pathways, shaping the pathogenesis of the disease and playing a central role in the risk and progression of RA. Metabolic pathways can be influenced by various agents such as the surrounding environment, lifestyle, and exposure to microbiota imbalance. In turn, the body’s metabolic homeostasis influences the immune response, making metabolomics helpful not only to understand pathogenesis pathways, but also to improve early disease detection and therapeutic chances. Combined gut microbiome and metabolome studies set out to unravel the interactions between these two entities, providing insights to discover new treatment targets and potential biomarkers to prevent joint damage. The purpose of this review is to summarize the main recent findings that suggest promising new research directions for the pathogenesis of RA.
