Anti-osteoporotic drugs affect the pathogenesis of gut microbiota and its metabolites: a clinical study

Rui-Kun Zhang; Kun Yan; Hai-Feng Chen; Yang Zhang; Gui-Jin Li; Xiao-Gang Chen; Lin-Pu Ge; Feng Cheng; Zhi-Neng Chen; Xin-Miao Yao

doi:10.3389/fcimb.2023.1091083

Anti-osteoporotic drugs affect the pathogenesis of gut microbiota and its metabolites: a clinical study

Front Cell Infect Microbiol. 2023 Jul 4:13:1091083. doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1091083. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ The Third Clinical Medical College of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
² Department of Orthopedics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

Abstract

Background: Disordered gut microbiota (GM) structure and function may contribute to osteoporosis (OP). This study explores how traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) intervention affects the structure and function of the GM in patients with OP.

Method: In a 3-month clinical study, 43 patients were randomly divided into two groups receiving conventional treatment and combined TCM (Yigu decoction, YGD) treatment. The correlation between the intestinal flora and its metabolites was analyzed using 16S rDNA and untargeted metabolomics and the combination of the two.

Results: After three months of treatment, patients in the treatment group had better bone mineral density (BMD) than those in the control group (P < 0.05). Patients in the treatment group had obvious abundance changes in GM microbes, such as Bacteroides, Escherichia-Shigella, Faecalibacterium, Megamonas, Blautia, Klebsiella, Romboutsia, Akkermansia, and Prevotella_9. The functional changes observed in the GM mainly involved changes in metabolic function, genetic information processing and cellular processes. The metabolites for which major changes were observed were capsazepine, Phe-Tyr, dichlorprop, D-pyroglutamic acid and tamsulosin. These metabolites may act through metabolic pathways, the citrate cycle (TCA cycle) and beta alanine metabolism. Combined analysis showed that the main acting metabolites were dichlorprop, capsazepine, D-pyroglutamic acid and tamsulosin.

Conclusion: This study showed that TCM influenced the structure and function of the GM in patients with OP, which may be one mechanism by which TCM promotes the rehabilitation of patients with OP through the GM.

Keywords: 16S rDNA; clinical study; gut microbiota; osteoporosis; untargeted metabolism.

Publication types

Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Gastrointestinal Microbiome*
Humans
Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / genetics
Tamsulosin

Substances

capsazepine
dichlorprop
Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid
Tamsulosin
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the project of Zhejiang Provincial Administration of traditional Chinese medicine (2021ZB149, 2021ZQ048, 2022ZA091) and The state administration of traditional Chinese medicine slurry sampling - Zhejiang province administration of traditional Chinese medicine to build science and technology plan projects (GZY-ZJ-KY-23022).