Long-term benefit of DAAs on gut dysbiosis and microbial translocation in HCV-infected patients with and without HIV coinfection

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 14413 - 13
• Main Authors: Chuaypen, Natthaya, Jinato, Thananya, Avihingsanon, Anchalee, Nookaew, Intawat, Tanaka, Yasuhito, Tangkijvanich, Pisit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 02.09.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 631/337; 692/4017; Acetic acid; Antiviral agents; Antiviral drugs; Digestive system; Dysbacteriosis; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Fatty acid-binding protein; Fatty acids; Fibrosis; Gastrointestinal tract; Gene expression; Hepatitis C; HIV; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humanities and Social Sciences; Intestinal microflora; Lipopolysaccharides; Longitudinal studies; Microbiota; multidisciplinary; rRNA 16S; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Translocation
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41664-7
• ISSN: 2045-2322

Long-term effect of Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) on gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and microbial translocation in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who achieve sustained virological response (SVR) were limited. A longitudinal study of 50 patients with HCV monoinfection and 19 patients with HCV/HIV coinfection received DAAs were conducted. Fecal specimens collected at baseline and at week 72 after treatment completion (FUw72) were analyzed for 16S rRNA sequencing and the butyryl-CoA:acetateCoA transferase (BCoAT) gene expression using real-time PCR. Plasma lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) and intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) were quantified by ELISA assays. SVR rates in mono- and coinfected patients were comparable (94% vs. 100%). The improvement of gut dysbiosis and microbial translocation was found in responders but was not in non-responders. Among responders, significant restoration of alpha-diversity, BCoAT and LBP were observed in HCV patients with low-grade fibrosis (F0–F1), while HCV/HIV patients exhibited partial improvement at FUw72. I-FABP did not decline significantly in responders. Treatment induced microbiota changes with increasing abundance of SCFAs-producing bacteria, including Blautia, Fusicatenibacter, Subdoligranulum and Bifidobacterium . In conclusion, long-term effect of DAAs impacted the restoration of gut dysbiosis and microbial translocation. However, early initiation of DAAs required for an alteration of gut microbiota, enhanced SCFAs-producing bacteria, and could reduce HCV-related complications.