Treatment with Anaerobutyricum soehngenii: a pilot study of safety and dose–response effects on glucose metabolism in human subjects with metabolic syndrome

• Published in: NPJ biofilms and microbiomes Vol. 6; no. 1; p. 16
• Main Authors: Gilijamse, Pim W., Hartstra, Annick V., Levin, Evgeni, Wortelboer, Koen, Serlie, Mireille J., Ackermans, Mariette T., Herrema, Hilde, Nederveen, Aart J., Imangaliyev, Sultan, Aalvink, Steven, Sommer, Morton, Levels, Han, Stroes, Erik S. G., Groen, Albert K., Kemper, Marleen, de Vos, Willem M., Nieuwdorp, Max, Prodan, Andrei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 27.03.2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/326/2565/2134; 631/326/2565/2142; 631/326/2565/855; 692/698/2741/2135; Administration, Oral; Adult; Aged; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - genetics; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Bile Acids and Salts - metabolism; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Clostridiales - physiology; Dietary Supplements - adverse effects; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Dysbacteriosis; Feces - microbiology; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Glucose; Glucose - metabolism; Humans; Insulin; Insulin resistance; Intestinal microflora; Intestine; Life Sciences; Long-term effects; Male; Medical Microbiology; Metabolic response; Metabolic syndrome; Metabolic Syndrome - diet therapy; Metabolic Syndrome - metabolism; Microbial Ecology; Microbial Genetics and Genomics; Microbiology; Microbiota; Middle Aged; Pilot Projects; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 2055-5008; 2055-5008
• DOI: 10.1038/s41522-020-0127-0

Dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota has been implicated in insulin resistance, although evidence regarding causality in humans is scarce. We performed a phase I/II dose-finding and safety study on the effect of oral intake of the anaerobic butyrogenic strain Anaerobutyricum soehngenii on glucose metabolism in 24 subjects with metabolic syndrome. We found that treatment with A. soehngenii was safe and observed a significant correlation between the measured fecal abundance of administered A. soehngenii and improvement in peripheral insulin sensitivity after 4 weeks of treatment. This was accompanied by an altered microbiota composition and a change in bile acid metabolism. Finally, we show that metabolic response upon administration of A. soehngenii (defined as improved insulin sensitivity 4 weeks after A. soehngenii intake) is dependent on microbiota composition at baseline. These data in humans are promising, but additional studies are needed to reproduce our findings and to investigate long-term effects, as well as other modes of delivery.