Intestinal microbiome of gallstone patients

Gallstone disease is a significant health problem worldwide. It can result in pancreatitis, cholangitis and even gallbladder carcinoma. Nowadays, the prevalence of gallstone disease kept a continuously rising tendency. However, the process of gallstones formation still remains unclear. The microecosystem of the human intestinal tract has been reported to participate in regulating the biological metabolism in human bodies. In recent years, some researches have suggested intestinal microbes might play an important role in gallstone pathogenesis, but few of them laid emphasis on the detailed function of those differential microbiota. In this study, the metagenomic sequencing was used to analyze the diversity and functions of the intestinal microbiota in patients with gallstone disease. The results of our research revealed that the intestinal tract of cholelithiasis patients harbored a particular microbial community. By comparison with the healthy individuals, we discovered the differential intestinal microbes and the corresponding functions in cholelithiasis subjects. Our study broaden the insight into the potential mechanism of how intestinal microbes affect the progression of gallstones to some extent. Meanwhile, our study also provide potential targets for prevention, diagnosis or treatment of gallstone disease.

胆囊结石病是全球范围内的重大公共健康问题，可引发胰腺炎、胆管炎，甚至胆囊癌。当前，胆囊结石病的患病率呈持续上升趋势，但胆囊结石的形成机制至今仍未完全阐明。已有研究表明，人体肠道微生态系统参与调控机体的新陈代谢过程。近年来，多项研究指出肠道微生物可能在胆囊结石的发病过程中发挥重要作用，但鲜有研究聚焦于这类差异菌群的具体功能。本研究采用宏基因组测序（metagenomic sequencing）技术，分析胆囊结石病患者肠道菌群的多样性与功能特征。研究结果显示，胆囊结石病患者的肠道内存在独特的微生物群落；与健康人群对照，本研究鉴定出该类患者肠道内的差异菌群及其相关功能。本研究在一定程度上加深了人们对肠道微生物影响胆囊结石进展的潜在机制的认知，同时也为胆囊结石病的预防、诊断与治疗提供了潜在靶点。