AUTHOR=Yu Meilian , Li Lingzhi , Ren Qian , Feng Han , Tao Sibei , Cheng Lu , Ma Liang , Gou Shen-Ju , Fu Ping 

TITLE=Understanding the Gut-Kidney Axis in Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis: An Analysis of Gut Microbiota Composition

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2022.783679

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2022.783679

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=Increasing evidence suggested that gut microbiota played a critical role in the development of autoimmune diseases. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between gut microbiota and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis (AAV) with kidney injury. We analyzed the fecal samples of 23 AAV patients with kidney injury by performing 16s RNA microbial profiling approach. The alpha-diversity indexes were significantly lower in AAV patients with kidney injury than those of healthy controls (sobs P ＜0.001, Shannon P＜0.001, chao ＜0.001). The beta-diversity difference demonstrated a significant difference among AAV patients with kidney injury, patients with LN and health controls (ANOSIM, P=0.001). Among AAV patients with kidney injury, the proportion of Deltaproteobacteria, unclassified_o_Bacteroidales, Prevotellaceae, Desulfovibrionaceae Paraprevotella and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group were correlated negatively with the level of serum creatinine, and the proportion of Deltaproteobacteria, unclassified_o_Bacteroidales, Desulfovibrionaceae, Paraprevotella and Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group had positive correlation with the level of eGFR. In conclusion, the richness and diversity of gut microbiota were reduced in AAV patients with kidney injury and the alteration of gut microbiota might be associated with the severity of kidney injury of AAV patients. Targeted regulation of gut microbiota disorder might be a potential treatment for AAV patients with kidney injury.