Does the gut microbiome partially mediate the impact of air pollutants exposure on liver function? Evidence based on schizophrenia patients

Weizhuo Yi; Yifu Ji; Hua Gao; Rubing Pan; Qiannan Wei; Jian Cheng; Jian Song; Yangyang He; Chao Tang; Xiangguo Liu; Shasha Song; Hong Su

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118135

Does the gut microbiome partially mediate the impact of air pollutants exposure on liver function? Evidence based on schizophrenia patients

Environ Pollut. 2021 Dec 15:291:118135. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118135. Epub 2021 Sep 11.

Authors

Weizhuo Yi¹, Yifu Ji², Hua Gao², Rubing Pan¹, Qiannan Wei¹, Jian Cheng¹, Jian Song¹, Yangyang He¹, Chao Tang¹, Xiangguo Liu¹, Shasha Song¹, Hong Su³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, China.
² Anhui Mental Health Center, Hefei, Anhui, China.
³ Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China; Inflammation and Immune Mediated Diseases Laboratory of Anhui Province, China. Electronic address: suhong5151@sina.com.

PMID: 34534831
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118135

Abstract

Air pollution may alter the composition of gut microbiome and subsequent liver-related metabolic disorders. Schizophrenia was often accompanied by liver dysfunction. But it was still unclear whether air pollutants affected liver function in patients with schizophrenia through gut microbiome. We aimed to clarify the impacts of long-term air pollutants on the gut microbiome and liver function in schizophrenia and to evaluate the intermediary effect of microbiome. Schizophrenia patients were recruited then serum biochemical indicators were tested. Air pollutant exposure in the previous year was retrospectively estimated by inverse distance weighting. The associations among air pollutants, gut microbiome, and liver function indicators in schizophrenia were estimated. Then the mediating effect of gut microbiome was further explored. The results showed that nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbonic oxide (CO), ozone (O₃), particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤10 μm (PM₁₀), and fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) explained 2.68%-10.77% of the variation in gut microbiome composition (order level) in schizophrenia (all P < 0.05). Network correlation analysis indicated that air pollutants and liver function indicators were mainly related to Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria in schizophrenia. Long-term NO₂ exposure significantly increased the levels of gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) in schizophrenia. Coriobacteriales mediated 13.98% and 49.56% (all P < 0.05) of the associations of long-term NO₂ with GGT and GPT, respectively. To conclude, long-term NO₂ exposure is positively associated with liver dysfunction in schizophrenia, in which gut microbiome plays an intermediary role. The two pathways, "NO₂-Coriobacteriales-GGT" and "NO₂-Coriobacteriales-GPT", would provide scientific evidence for the intervention of schizophrenia with liver dysfunction.

Keywords: Air pollution; Gut microbiome; Liver function; Nitrogen dioxide; Schizophrenia.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollutants* / toxicity
Air Pollution* / analysis
Air Pollution* / statistics & numerical data
Environmental Exposure / analysis
Gastrointestinal Microbiome*
Humans
Liver / chemistry
Nitrogen Dioxide / analysis
Ozone* / analysis
Ozone* / toxicity
Particulate Matter / analysis
Retrospective Studies
Schizophrenia*

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter
Ozone
Nitrogen Dioxide