Alteration of the gut microbiota in patients with lung cancer accompanied by chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases

Tingxiang Wang; Wanting Su; Li Li; Haiyan Wu; He Huang; Zhijun Li

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30380

Alteration of the gut microbiota in patients with lung cancer accompanied by chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases

Heliyon. 2024 Apr 26;10(9):e30380. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30380. eCollection 2024 May 15.

Authors

Tingxiang Wang¹, Wanting Su², Li Li³, Haiyan Wu³, He Huang³, Zhijun Li³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oncology, Zhejiang Hospital Affiliated with the Medical SChool of Zhejiang University, 1229 Gudun Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310012, China.
² Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, 348 Binwen Road, Binjiang District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000, China.
³ Department of Respiratory Medicine, Zhejiang Hospital Affiliated with the Medical School of Zhejiang University, 1229 Gudun Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310012, China.

Abstract

Aim: To explore the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota in patients with lung cancer accompanied by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (LC-COPD).

Methods: The study cohort comprised 15 patients with LC-COPD, 49 patients with lung cancer, and 18 healthy control individuals. ELISA was used to detect inflammatory factors in venous blood. 16S rDNA sequencing was performed to determine the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces samples.

Results: The α-diversity index indicated that the richness and diversity of the gut microbiota were lower in patients with LC-COPD compared with patients with lung cancer and controls. Principal component analysis revealed significant differences among the three groups (P < 0.05). The linear discriminant analysis effect size algorithm indicated that the o_Lactobacillales, g_Lactobaccillus, f_Lactobaccillaceae, s_Lactobaccillus_oris, c_Bacilli, g_Anaerofustis, s_uncultured organism, and s_bacterium_P1C10 species were prevalent in patients with LC-COPD, while the g_Clostridium_XIVa and g_Butyricicoccus species were prevalent in patients with lung cancer. Furthermore, the concentrations of the SCFAs butyric acid, isobutyric acid, isovaleric acid, and valeric acid tended to be lower in patients with LC-COPD compared with patients with lung cancer and healthy controls, although these intergroup differences were not significant (P > 0.05). Patients with lung cancer had the lowest serum concentration of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a. There were no intergroup differences in the concentrations of other inflammatory factors.

Conclusions: The present study indicated that the abundance and structure of the gut microbiota is altered, and the concentrations of SCFAs may be decreased in patients with LC-COPD. In addition, patients with lung cancer had the lowest serum concentration of TNF-a.

Keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Gut microbiota; Inflammation; Lung cancer; Short-chain fatty acids.