Gut microbiota composition and bone mineral loss—epidemiologic evidence from individuals in Wuhan, China

• Published in: Osteoporosis international Vol. 30; no. 5; pp. 1003 - 1013
• Main Authors: Li, C., Huang, Q., Yang, R., Dai, Y., Zeng, Y., Tao, L., Li, X., Zeng, J., Wang, Q.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Springer London 01-05-2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Absorptiometry, Photon - methods; Abundance; Aged; Bacteria - classification; Bacteria - isolation & purification; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Bacteroidetes; Bifidobacterium; Bone composition; Bone Density - physiology; Bone mineral density; Case-Control Studies; Endocrinology; Feces - microbiology; Female; Firmicutes; Gastrointestinal Microbiome - physiology; Gastrointestinal Tract - microbiology; Geriatrics; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing - methods; Humans; Intestinal microflora; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Networks and Pathways - physiology; Metabolic pathways; Microbiota; Middle Aged; Original Article; Orthopedics; Osteoporosis; Osteoporosis - metabolism; Osteoporosis - microbiology; Osteoporosis - physiopathology; Rheumatology; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics; rRNA 16S; Gut microbiota; Osteoporosis; Bone mineral loss; Sequencing; 16S Ribosomal RNA
• ISSN: 0937-941X; 1433-2965
• DOI: 10.1007/s00198-019-04855-5

Summary
We explored the association between gut microbiota composition and bone mineral loss in Chinese elderly people by high-throughput 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing. Compared with controls, a smaller number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs), several taxa with altered abundance, and specific functional pathways were found in individuals with low-bone mineral density (BMD).
Introduction
Gut microbiota plays important roles in human health and associates with a number of diseases. However, few studies explored its association with bone mineral loss in human.
Methods
We collected 102 fecal samples from each eligible individual belonging to low-BMD and control groups for high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
Results
The low-BMD individuals had a smaller number of OTUs and bacterial taxa at each level. At the phylum level, Bacteroidetes were more abundant in the low-BMD group; Firmicutes were enriched in the control group; Firmicutes and Actinobacteria positively correlated and Bacteroidetes negatively correlated with the BMD and T-score in all subjects. At the family level, the abundance of Lachnospiraceae in low-BMD individuals reduced and positively correlated with BMD and T-score; meanwhile, BMD increased with increasing Bifidobacteriaceae. At the genus level, low-BMD individuals had decreased proportions of
Roseburia
compared with control ones (
P
 < 0.05).
Roseburia
,
Bifidobacterium
, and
Lactobacillus
positively correlated with BMD and T-score. Furthermore, BMD increased with rising abundance of
Bifidobacterium
. Functional prediction revealed that 93 metabolic pathways significantly differed between the two groups (FDR-corrected
P
 < 0.05). Most pathways, especially pathways related to LPS biosynthesis, were more abundant in low-BMD individuals than in control ones.
Conclusions
Several taxa with altered abundance and specific functional pathways were discovered in low-BMD individuals. Our findings provide novel epidemiologic evidence to elucidate the underlying microbiota-relevant mechanism in bone mineral loss and osteoporosis.