AUTHOR=Zhang Ruoyan , Qiu Wei , Sun Xiaodong , Li Jing , Geng Xiaochen , Yu Shichao , Liu Ying , Huang Heyu , Li Mingyue , Fan Zhongqi , Li Mingqian , Lv Guoyue 

TITLE=Gut microbiota dynamics in a 1-year follow-up after adult liver transplantation in Northeast China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=Volume 14 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2023.1266635

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2023.1266635

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=Background: Liver transplantation (LTx) is the most effective treatments for end-stage liver diseases. Gut microorganisms influence the host physiology. We aim to profile the dynamics of gut microbiota in the perioperative period and one-year follow-up of LTx recipients in northeast China. 
Methods: 257 fecal samples were longitudinally collected from 85 LTx patients using anal swab from pre-LTx to one-year post-LTx. 48 fecal samples from end-stage liver disease patients without LTx were as control. The 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze gut microbiota diversity, bacterial genera, phenotype classification, and metabolic pathways. 
Results: The diversity of gut microbiota decreased significantly after transplant, accompanied by a profound change of the microbial structure, which characterized by increased abundance of facultative anaerobic bacteria dominated by the g_Enterococcus and reduced anaerobic bacteria composition. Predicted functional analysis also revealed disturbances metabolic pathway of the gut microbiota. After LTx, the diversity of microbiota gradually recovered but to a lesser than preoperative level after one-year recovery. Compared with pre-transplant, the microbiome structure was characterized by increase of Acidaminococcus and Acidithiobacillus after one-year transplant.
Conclusion: LTx and perioperative treatment triggered gut microbial dysbiosis. The gut microbiota remodeled after-LTx to near to but significantly differed from that of pre-LTx.