Exploring the links between gut microbiome changes and irritable bowel syndrome in Han populations in the Tibetan Plateau

• Published in: Journal of Zhejiang University. B. Science Vol. 24; no. 9; pp. 823 - 838
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xingguang, Xu, Wei, Zhong, Weilong, Zhang, Wencheng, Yang, Cheng, Duan, Lisa, Niu, Haiyan, Dong, Yanmei, Liu, Taotao, Xia, Shihai, Wang, Bangmao
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hangzhou Zhejiang University Press 01.09.2023; Springer Nature B.V; Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology,Tianjin Medical University General Hospital,Tianjin Institute of Digestive Diseases,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases,Tianjin 300052,China; Department of Gastroenterology,Characteristic Medical Center of Chinese People's Armed Police Force,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Hepatopancreatic Fiberosis and Molecular Diagnosis&Treatment,Tianjin 300162,China%Department of Gastroenterology,Characteristic Medical Center of Chinese People's Armed Police Force,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Hepatopancreatic Fiberosis and Molecular Diagnosis&Treatment,Tianjin 300162,China%Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology,Tianjin Medical University General Hospital,Tianjin Institute of Digestive Diseases,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases,Tianjin 300052,China
• Subjects: Abnormalities; Altitude; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Composition; Digestive system; Feces; Flora; Gastrointestinal tract; Gene sequencing; High altitude environments; Intestinal microflora; Intestine; Irritable bowel syndrome; Microbiomes; Microbiota; Microorganisms; Pathogenesis; Research Article; rRNA 16S; Sequence analysis; Tibetan Plateau; 高原环境; 肠易激综合征; Plateau environment; 肠道微生物; Gut microbiome; Irritable bowel syndrome
• ISSN: 1673-1581; 1862-1783; 1862-1783
• DOI: 10.1631/jzus.B2200509

The gut microbiome shows changes under a plateau environment, while the disbalance of intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the pathogenesis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS); however, the relationship between the two remains unexplored. In this work, we followed up a healthy cohort for up to a year before and after living in a plateau environment and performed 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing analysis of their fecal samples. Through evaluating the participants’ clinical symptoms, combined with an IBS questionnaire, we screened the IBS sub-population in our cohort. The sequencing results showed that a high-altitude environment could lead to changes in the diversity and composition of gut flora. In addition, we found that the longer the time volunteers spent in the plateau environment, the more similar their gut microbiota composition and abundance became compared to those before entering the plateau, and IBS symptoms were significantly alleviated. Therefore, we speculated that the plateau may be a special environment that induces IBS. The taxonomic units g_ Alistipes , g_ Oscillospira , and s_ Ruminococcus_torques , which had been proved to play important roles in IBS pathogenesis, were also abundant in the IBS cohort at high altitudes. Overall, the disbalance of gut microbiota induced by the plateau environment contributed to the high frequency of IBS and the psychosocial abnormalities associated with IBS. Our results prompt further research to elucidate the relevant mechanism.