Table_1_Altered Fecal Microbiota Composition in Older Adults With Frailty.doc

ObjectiveFrailty is a common geriatric syndrome that is diagnosed and staged based mainly on symptoms. We aimed to evaluate frailty-related alterations of the intestinal permeability and profile fecal microbiota of healthy and frail older adults to identify microbial biomarkers of this syndrome.MethodsWe collected serum and fecal samples from 94 community-dwelling older adults, along with anthropometric, medical, mental health, and lifestyle data. Serum inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and HGMB1 and the intestinal permeability biomarker zonulin were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing method was performed to determine the fecal composition of fecal microbiota. We analyzed the diversity and composition differences of the gut microbiota in the two groups and assessed the relationship between the changes in microbiota structure and clinical biomarkers.ResultsOlder adults with frailty showed higher concentrations of IL-6, HGMB1, and zonulin. Although there were no statistically significant differences in the diversity index and evenness indices or species richness of fecal microbiota between the two groups, we found significant microbiota structure differences. Compared with the control group, fecal samples from the frail group had higher levels of Akkermansia, Parabacteroides, and Klebsiella and lower levels of the commensal genera Faecalibacterium, Prevotella, Roseburia, Megamonas, and Blautia. Spearman’s correlation analysis showed that the intergenus interactions were more common in healthy controls than older adults with frailty. Escherichia/Shigella, Pyramidobacter, Alistipes, and Akkermansia were positively correlated with IL-6, while Faecalibacterium, Prevotella, and Roseburia were negatively correlated with IL-6. Alistipes were found to be positively correlated with HGMB1. Akkermansia and Alistipes were linked to the increased serum level of inflammatory factors and intestinal permeability.ConclusionsFrailty is associated with differences in the composition of fecal microbiota. These findings might aid in the development of probiotics or microbial-based therapies for frailty.

ObjectiveFrailty（目标脆弱性）是一种常见的老年综合征，其诊断与分级主要基于症状。本研究旨在评估健康与脆弱的老年人群肠道通透性改变及粪便微生物群特征，以识别该综合征的微生物生物标志物。研究方法：我们从94名社区居住的老年人群收集血清和粪便样本，同时收集了人体测量学、医疗、心理健康和生活方式数据。采用酶联免疫吸附测定法测量血清炎症细胞因子IL-6和HGMB1以及肠道通透性生物标志物Zonulin。通过16S rRNA扩增子测序方法确定粪便微生物群的组成。我们分析了两组肠道微生物群的多样性和组成差异，并评估了微生物群结构变化与临床生物标志物之间的关系。研究结果：脆弱性老年人群的IL-6、HGMB1和Zonulin浓度较高。尽管两组粪便微生物群的多样性指数、均匀度指数或物种丰富度之间没有统计学上的显著差异，但我们发现了显著的微生物群结构差异。与对照组相比，脆弱组粪便样本中Akkermansia、Parabacteroides和Klebsiella水平升高，而共生菌属Faecalibacterium、Prevotella、Roseburia、Megamonas和Blautia水平降低。Spearman相关分析显示，在健康对照组中，属间相互作用比脆弱老年人群更为常见。Escherichia/Shigella、Pyramidobacter、Alistipes和Akkermansia与IL-6呈正相关，而Faecalibacterium、Prevotella和Roseburia与IL-6呈负相关。Alistipes与HGMB1呈正相关。Akkermansia和Alistipes与炎症因子血清水平及肠道通透性增加有关。研究结论：脆弱性与粪便微生物群的组成差异相关。这些发现可能有助于开发针对脆弱性的益生菌或基于微生物的治疗方法。