Introduction. Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a systemic progressive disease with an unknown etiology that may be related to the gut microbiome. Therefore, a more thorough understanding of its pathogenesis is necessary for directing future therapy. Aim. We aimed to determine the differences in intestinal microbial composition between healthy individuals and patients with AS who received and who did not receive treatment interventions. In parallel, the pathology of AS in each patient was analysed to better understand the link between AS treatment and the intestinal microbiota of the patients. Methodology. Sixty-six faecal DNA samples, including 37 from healthy controls (HCs), 11 from patients with untreated AS (NM), 7 from patients treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. celecoxib; WM) and 11 from patients treated with Chinese herbal medicine (CHM), such as the Bushen–Qiangdu–Zhilv decoction, were collected and used in the drug effect analysis. All samples were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq 4000 and the microbial composition was determined. Results. Four species were enriched in the patients with AS: Flavonifractor plautii , Oscillibacter , Parabacteroides distasonis and Bacteroides nordii (HC vs. NM, P<0.05); only F. plautii was found to be significantly changed in the NM-HC comparison. No additional species were found in the HC vs. CHM analysis, which indicated a beneficial effect of CHM in removing the other three strains. F. plautii was found to be significantly increased in the comparison between the HC and WM groups, along with four other species ( Clostridium bolteae , Clostridiales bacterium 1_7_47FAA, C. asparagiforme and C. hathewayi ). The patients with AS harboured more bacterial species associated with carbohydrate metabolism and glycan biosynthesis in their faeces. They also had bacterial profiles less able to biodegrade xenobiotics or synthesize and transport vitamins. Conclusion. The gut microbiota of the patients with AS varied from that of the HCs, and the treatment had an impact on this divergence. Our data provide insight that could guide improvements in AS treatment.

中文翻译：

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强直性脊柱炎患者肠道微生物组组成的变化以及传统和草药治疗效果的全基因组关联研究。


介绍。强直性脊柱炎（AS）是一种病因不明的全身性进行性疾病，可能与肠道微生物组有关。因此，有必要更深入地了解其发病机制，以指导未来的治疗。目的。我们的目的是确定健康个体与接受和未接受治疗干预的 AS 患者之间肠道微生物组成的差异。同时，对每位患者的 AS 病理进行了分析，以更好地了解 AS 治疗与患者肠道微生物群之间的联系。方法。 66 份粪便 DNA 样本，其中 37 份来自健康对照 (HC)，11 份来自未经治疗的 AS 患者 (NM)，7 份来自接受非甾体抗炎药（如塞来昔布；WM）治疗的患者，11 份来自接受中药治疗的患者收集补肾羌毒止律汤等中药，用于药效分析。所有样品均使用 Illumina HiSeq 4000 进行测序并确定微生物组成。结果。 AS患者体内富集了四个菌种： Flavonifractor plautii 、 Oscillibacter 、 Parabacteroides distasonis和Bacteroides Nordii （HC vs. NM， P <0 id=13> F. plautii在NM-HC比较中发现显着变化。否在 HC 与 CHM 分析中发现了其他物种，这表明 CHM 在去除其他三种菌株方面具有有益作用。 与 HC 组和 WM 组相比，发现 plautii 以及其他四种菌种（梭状芽胞杆菌、梭状芽胞杆菌 1_7_47FAA、 C. asparagiforme和C. hathewayi ）显着增加。 AS 患者的粪便中含有更多与碳水化合物代谢和聚糖生物合成相关的细菌种类。它们的细菌特征也不太能够生物降解外源物质或合成和运输维生素。结论。 AS 患者的肠道微生物群与 HC 患者的肠道微生物群不同，治疗对这种差异产生了影响。我们的数据提供了可以指导改进 AS 治疗的见解。