Dynamic Shifts in Gut Microbiota of Bleomycin-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis

This study used a bleomycin-induced mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis and applied metagenomic sequencing to systematically analyze the composition and dynamic changes of the gut microbiome across different pathological stages. The results showed that, compared with the normal group, the gut microbiome of pulmonary fibrosis model mice exhibited significant alterations in species abundance: Prevotellaceae and Akkermansiaceae were significantly decreased, while Clostridiaceae and Muribaculaceae were markedly increased. Metabolic pathway analysis indicated that key pathways such as amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and lipid metabolism displayed significant differences in the model group. Further LEfSe analysis identified specific strains and metabolic pathways associated with disease progression; these changes were highly correlated with worsening pathology in pulmonary fibrosis, suggesting that dynamic shifts in the gut microbiome may influence lung inflammation by regulating metabolic pathways. The study concludes that the gut microbiome is closely associated with pulmonary fibrosis and provides new insights into the complex mechanisms linking them, laying a foundation for developing novel therapeutic strategies for pulmonary fibrosis based on modulation of the gut microbiome.