Background Lung cancer (LC) is one of the most aggressive, prevalent and fatal malignancies. Gut microbes and their associated metabolites are thought to cause and modulate LC development, albeit influenced by the host genetic make-up and environment. Herein, we identified and classified gut microbiota and serum metabolites associated with LC. Methods Stool samples were collected from 41 LC patients and 40 healthy volunteers. The gut microbiota was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Serum samples were collected from the same LC patients (n=30) and healthy volunteers (n=30) and serum metabolites were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Microbiome and metabolome data were analyzed separately and integrated for combined analysis using various bioinformatics methods. Results Serum metabolomics uncovered 870 metabolites regulated in 76 metabolic pathways in both groups. Microbial diversity analyses identified 15967 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in groups. Of these, the abundance of 232 OTUs was significantly different between HC and LC groups. Also, serum levels of glycerophospholipids (LysoPE 18:3, LysoPC 14:0, LysoPC 18:3), Imidazopyrimidines (Hypoxanthine), AcylGlcADG 66:18; AcylGlcADG (22:6/22:6/22:6) and Acylcarnitine 11:0 were substantially different between HC and LC groups. Combined analysis correlated LC-associated microbes with metabolites, such as Erysipelotrichaceae_UCG_003, Clostridium and Synergistes with glycerophospholipids. Conclusions There is an intricate relationship between gut microbiome and levels of several metabolites such as glycerophospholipids and imidazopyrimidines. Microbial-associated metabolites are potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for LC.

中文翻译：

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肺癌患者的特定肠道微生物组和血清代谢组变化。

背景 肺癌 (LC) 是最具侵袭性、流行性和致命性的恶性肿瘤之一。肠道微生物及其相关代谢物被认为会导致和调节 LC 的发展，尽管受宿主基因组成和环境的影响。在此，我们鉴定并分类了与 LC 相关的肠道微生物群和血清代谢物。方法收集41例LC患者和40例健康志愿者的粪便样本。使用 16S rRNA 基因测序分析肠道微生物群。从相同的 LC 患者 (n=30) 和健康志愿者 (n=30) 收集血清样品，并使用液相色谱-质谱 (LC-MS) 分析血清代谢物。微生物组和代谢组数据分别进行分析和整合，以便使用各种生物信息学方法进行组合分析。结果 血清代谢组学揭示了两组 76 条代谢途径中的 870 种代谢物。微生物多样性分析确定了 15967 个可操作的分类单位 (OTU)。其中，232 个 OTU 的丰度在 HC 和 LC 组之间存在显着差异。此外，甘油磷脂（LysoPE 18:3、LysoPC 14:0、LysoPC 18:3）、咪唑并嘧啶（次黄嘌呤）、AcylGlcADG 66:18 的血清水平；AcylGlcADG (22:6/22:6/22:6) 和酰基肉碱 11:0 在 HC 和 LC 组之间存在显着差异。联合分析将 LC 相关微生物与代谢物（如丹毒杆菌_UCG_003、梭菌和增效菌）与甘油磷脂相关联。结论 肠道微生物组与多种代谢物（如甘油磷脂和咪唑并嘧啶）的水平之间存在错综复杂的关系。